Patience
by marlyp
Summary: Chapter 11 is up!
1. The meeting

-1Phil smiled as he heard Eddie and Janet moving around upstairs. For a few days he had been scared that there wouldn't be an Eddie and Janet ever again but after the whole thing with Big Cat they seemed to be working it out. Grabbing the two mugs of coffee that he had just poured he went to the front room. Handing one to Pizza Girl he sat down beside her and said "Isn't that a nice sound?"

"What sound would that be, my weird one?" she asked with her head cocked to the side.

"Eddie and Janet. Together and in love." Phil replied as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

When he pulled away, she grabbed him back and planted a nice long one on him. Leaving him a little winded, she reached for her coffee and said "Be careful with that Love word. Just because we're living in bliss right now doesn't mean everyone else is."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Eddie will figure it out soon enough, though. I've never seen him as happy as he has been this last week."

Pizza Girl smiled impishly at him and said "Maybe you're spreading some of your happiness around."

"Could be, my love, could be." Phil replied as he reached over and pulled her to him. They broke apart when they heard Janet coming down the stairs. Looking in on them she pointed to Pizza Girl and said "I have three words for you. Girls Night Out. Hannah just called and it's on for tonight. Are you game?"

"You better believe it." Since the first time, the three girls had gotten together as often as they could. Pizza Girl couldn't believe how much her life had changed since meeting Phil. Looking over at him, she questioned him with her eyes and by the way he smiled at her she knew that he didn't mind her night out.

"EDDIE!" He hollered up the stairs. "Break out the junk food for the game tonight. The girls are deserting us."

Coming down the stairs Eddie replied "Way ahead of you Phys. Nick is bringing the beer and Owen is in charge of snacks."

"Is Ikey coming?" Phil asked him. Things were getting better, but it was still a touchy subject and Phil took it one day at a time.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him today. I'll see if I can find him on my way to work and I'll call you when I know something. Gotta go, catch you guys later." He wrapped his arms around Janet and gave her a good-bye kiss. "See you later?" He asked. "Are you coming back here afterward" He couldn't believe how much he wanted her to say yes.

"Probably" Janet said. "Hannah said she would pick us up here." She returned his kiss and shoved him towards the door. "Now get out of here so I can get ready for work. I traded shifts with Karen so I have to be there at 10."

Eddie left for work and Janet headed into the kitchen for coffee. Phil was still sitting on the couch with a goofy smile on his face. He was so happy for Eddie and was lost in his own thoughts about the future. When he saw that Pizza Girl was laughing at him he pounced on her and tickled her until she couldn't breathe. He had plenty of time to think of the future, right now it was time for some fun.

"Put some music on and I'll go start us some breakfast." He said when he let her up.

In the kitchen Janet smiled when she heard "Feels Like the First Time" coming from the front of the house. Foreigner had always been her favorite band, but since Eddie had kissed her at Sully's the remastered version of their first album had become her absolute favorite CD. As she sat sipping her coffee, Pizza Girl walked in talking on her cell phone.

"Okay, talk to you later. Bye." Refilling her mug she said to Janet. "That was my sister, Layla. She's coming for a visit. Is it okay if she joins us tonight?"

"Absolutely. The more the merrier." Janet replied. "Tell me about her"

"Well, she's a few years older than me, We were always the closest and I really miss her since she took that job in Boston. She's been working in an ad agency for a few years now and I think she's ready for something new. I hope she can stay for awhile. You and Eddie won't mind, will you?"

"Don't be silly. I can't wait to meet her." Janet gave her a quick hug and placed her mug in the sink. "I'll meet you back here at 7. See ya later,"

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It was a long day for everyone.

Eddie was impatient to see Janet again. They had started talking things over and had made a lot of headway, but he knew that they had a long way to go. He spent a few hours doing some paperwork since Nick was out at a job site and then tried to call Ikey a few times. All he got was voicemail, so he left a message and made a mental note to try again later.

Janet spent all day at work daydreaming about Eddie. Almost losing him twice, once to Rory and once at the hospital, had put some things into perspective. Their talk the night before had made her feel better but she saw a long road ahead. But then again, the road to true love never did run smoothly. Janet couldn't remember who had said that, but felt that truer words had never been spoken. She was really looking forward to Girls Night Out. Since she had started dating Eddie and Hannah and Nick were circling around each other it had been hard to find time to spend time with Hannah. And it was getting harder and harder to pry Pizza Girl away from Phil.

After Pizza Girl left to go pick her sister up at the airport, Phil made up the extra room and straightened the house. The guys always made a mess but it was easier to clean up if the mess was only one layer. Only part of his mind was on his chores, the other part kept straying back to the ring box in his sock drawer. Eddie had gone to the bank yesterday and retrieved it from their joint safe deposit box. They hadn't had time to talk when Eddie got home yesterday since the girls were there. Phil was definitely glad the guys were coming tonight, since he was contemplating a few big steps and he needed some advice.

Pizza Girl drove to the airport with her stereo at full volume, playing a mix that Phil had made for her. Music had always been important in her life, but it had risen to a new level since meeting Phil and his friends. They seemed to have a soundtrack to their lives and loved sharing all kinds of music with each other. After picking Layla up at the airport they stopped for some lunch. She was so happy to see her sister and couldn't wait for her to meet everyone.

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Janet walked in the front door at 6:30. If she hurried, she had time for a quick shower. Waving to Pizza Girl as she went by she said "I'm gonna take a shower, back in a few minutes." Looking over, she stopped short and came to a halt. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must be Layla. Welcome to the house."

Layla smiled at her and Janet could see the family resemblance. "Go shower, we have all night to get acquainted."

"Okay, back in a jiffy." Janet went up the stairs and headed for Eddie's room. She could hear the guys in Phil's room at the other end of the hall. She didn't have time to waste, so she called out a hello to them and went into the bathroom.

"Coast is clear, she's in the shower" Eddie said after calling a hello back to Janet. "Open that box, I want to see it. I didn't look yesterday and it's been a long time."

Phil opened the box and handed it to Eddie. "What do you think? Will she like it?"

"If she doesn't, I'll marry you Phys." He handed to box back to Phil. "Now put it up before we get busted."

Downstairs, the front door opened and Hannah walked in followed by Nick and Sam. Owen walked in close on their heels and closed to door. By the time introductions had been made all around Janet was showered and dressed. After a quick good-bye and a promise to see Eddie later she collected Hannah, Pizza Girl and Layla and they headed to Sully's. It was quiet for a few seconds as the guys adjusted to the lack of females in the house. After he got Sam settled in front of the Playstation in his bedroom, Eddie came back downstairs and noticed Phil looking towards the door and guessed what he was thinking.

"I never could get in touch with Ikey today. Maybe the girls will see him at

Sully's. Janet knows we were looking for him, she'll tell him." Eddie told him. Looking over at Nick and Owen he said "Before the game starts, Phil has some news. Tell 'em Phys."

Before he could second guess himself, Phil blurted out "I'm gonna ask her to marry me."

After a round of handshakes and hugs it settled down enough for Phil to tell them the rest of his news.

"I think I'm ready to try to go outside. Just a little bit, but I think I need to. I feel like I'm missing out on all of your lives and Pizza Girl deserves so much more than a shut in." Cutting off the guys before they could say anything he said "I know, she accepts me as I am, but I want to be more for her. My lady deserves the world and the world she shall have."

The guys spent the remaining time before the game figuring out a plan to help Phil out of the house. By the time they were done everyone felt like they actually had a chance at success.

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The girls had been at Sully's for just a short while when Pizza Girl noticed Ikey at the bar. Layla was playing darts with Janet and Hannah was at the jukebox as she headed towards him.

"Come over and join us for a drink, dude. You should meet my sister, she's met everyone else." Pizza Girl said as she dragged him off the stool and steered him toward the table. Layla and Janet were done with their game and Hannah had selected "Patience" by Guns N Roses. Pizza Girl gave Hannah a thumbs up for her great selection and waved her over to the table.

Ikey had come to Sully's hoping to run into the guys. He had really wanted to see them but he still didn't feel right just dropping in. He was about to make a hasty retreat until his saw the girl approaching with Hannah. Maybe he could stay for a little while.

"What goes on girls? You are all looking fine tonight." For some reason Ikey felt nervous all of the sudden and his palms were a little sweaty.

"Hey Ikey" Janet said. Hannah echoed the hello and pulled Janet towards the bar.

"Do you see the way he's looking at her? I've never seen Ikey look at a girl that way." Hannah whispered to Janet.

Janet looked over at Ikey and saw what Hannah was talking about. He looked positively awestruck as he shook hands with Layla.

Ikey was having a hard putting words together to form a sentence. All he could do was let the girls talk around him and stare at the vision across the table from him. She was all curly hair and big blue eyes. He wanted to run his hands through those curls so bad that he couldn't stand it. Looking over at her, he realized that she was smiling at him and he felt a little bit of his world shift as he looked in her eyes. Pizza Girl saw the exchange and motioned to Hannah and Janet. The three of them used the excuse of picking out more music and made a quick exit. Standing by the jukebox, they had a good view of the table and they could stare openly because neither of the people at the table was paying a bit of attention to the them.

"I'm supposed to tell Ikey that the guys are watching the game at the house" Janet said, "but I don't have the heart to break that up. I'll wait awhile and see what happens."

Ikey fidgeted with his beer mug, trying to come up with something to say that didn't make him feel like an idiot. Layla reached over and took his hand. She didn't understand it herself, but she felt some kind of connection with this guy.

"Do you feel what I feel?" She was Pizza Girl's sister after all and they had the same gift for directness.

"Check it, I'm about to throw up or something" Ikey said. "I don't even know what to say to you." Ikey had decided to skip the cool route, it obviously wasn't going to work. "I just want to get to know you. Are you in the Ridge for awhile?"

Layla gave him a big smile and said "I'm here until my sister and Phil get tired of me staying with them."

Right then and there Ikey decided to take the bull by the horns. "Could I maybe drive you home tonight? Phil is one of my best friends and I promise to behave."

Seeing all the smiling that was going on, the girls made their way back to the table.

"Hey Ikey, I was supposed to tell you that the guys are watching the game at the house and want you to come over." She smiled when she saw him hesitate. "We'll be there in a few hours. Why don't you go see the guys and we'll meet you there later."

Ikey was torn and Layla could see that. She really wanted to spend some time with him but her sister had told her about his recent problems so she reached for his hand once again and said "Go see your friends, I'll see you later. Maybe we can do lunch tomorrow?"

"I'd like that" Ikey replied, He squeezed her hand and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Catch you girls later. Janet, thanks for telling me." Giving Layla one more look, he headed out the door.

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Driving to Phil and Eddie's house Ikey thought about what had just happened. Things like that just didn't happen to him. For the first time in a long time, Ikey felt hope. He couldn't wait to tell the guys about Layla.


	2. Ikey and Layla

_This chapter may be a little boring, but I needed to lay some ground work for future ones. Bear with me. _

The girls watched as Ikey exited the bar. Once the door closed behind him, Hannah, Janet and Pizza Girl all turned on Layla and started talking at once. Hannah held up one hand in a request to be heard and said "Oh, My, God. I am almost speechless. What did I just witness?"

They all turned to Layla, and Pizza Girl said "Spill it sister of mine. No secrets on Girls Night Out. This is a sacred trust and must not be ignored or tampered with."

Layla was at a loss for words, and that didn't happen very often to her. She had always professed a belief in love at first sight and now it felt like she should put up or shut up. She had left Boston with the intention of changing her life, she just didn't think that it would happen this quickly.

"Ladies, I think I just met someone who will be very important in my life. I've never felt like this before. I have a whole family of butterflies in my stomach."

Janet and Pizza Girl exchanged a smile. They both knew what she was talking about.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Layla asked them. "I don't mean lust, or any of that, I mean real, true love."

Janet looked at Hannah for a second before she answered "I think I do. I think I loved Eddie from the first time I met him. I just had a lot of demons to battle before I could go down that road. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think my answer would definitely be a yes. You have to follow your heart. I believe this also, don't ignore what your heart is telling you because sometimes you only get one chance."

"Amen, Sister" Hannah said. "Now, enough of this deep stuff, let's have some fun. C'mon Layla, they're playing your song." She pulled Layla off of her bar stool and they headed toward the dance floor with Derek and the Dominoes blasting from the jukebox.

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Back at the house, it was a little quieter. After the game Owen had gone to pick up his kids and Nick and Sam had gone to visit the Commander. Ikey was trying to explain his feelings for Layla to the guys, but he was having a hard time.

"Check it. Do you remember that time I fell off the ladder when we were trimming that tree at the Thompson's?" he said to Eddie. "I kinda feel like that."

"Really" Eddie replied. "If I remember correctly, I almost had to give you CPR and then you went and threw up in the rose bushes."

"Exactly, now you're getting it." Ikey said. "Man, I really want to get to know her. Do you think that's okay?"

"Absolutely" Phil said. "I'm looking forward to seeing you throw up." He ducked as Ikey threw an empty beer can at him.

Eddie wanted a piece of the action so he said "Look at it this way, at least she isn't married. And besides, she'll probably run screaming when she sees you dorks with your air band."

"Ha-Ha funny guy." They both looked towards the other room when they heard Phil rooting around in his stacks of CDs.

"Found it" he said as he held up a disc. He loaded the disc in the player and held up a finger and said "Wait for it, wait for it, here we go." The unmistakable notes of Eric Clapton's 'Layla' filled the house.

"Doesn't get any better than that, dude. You just met a girl who has her own theme song." Eddie said as he nudged Ikey in the shoulder.

"True dat" Ikey said as he picked up his drumsticks.

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The girls danced to every song on the jukebox and stayed until Rooster ran them out. It was a loud and happy car full of women that pulled up at the house. Janet waved to Hannah as she drove away. Someone had lit the tiki torches and Janet could see Eddie sitting in his favorite lounge chair so she headed that way to join him. Layla and Pizza Girl were coming up the steps behind her and Janet heard a quick intake of breath. Turning around she was stunned to see Phil sitting on the other side of the porch, shrouded by shadows.

Eddie got to his feet quickly and pulled Janet back to his chair with him. Settling her in his lap he whispered in her ear "Don't make a big deal of this, I'll explain everything later. Just sit here with me, I missed you tonight."

"Okay" Janet said as she put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing out here, Phil?" Pizza Girl asked him quietly. "Do you need anything?"

"Just you" he answered just as quietly. "Come over here and hold on to me. I promised Eddie I would stay out here until the tiki torches go out." When he made that promise he wasn't actually sure that he would make it that long, but now that she was with him, he was thinking that it just might happen.

Pizza Girl went to him and squeezed herself into the chair with him and wrapped her arms around him.

Layla was looking around, but she didn't see Ikey. When Eddie saw this he said "Ikey's inside putting on some more music. If you have any pity on us at all you will go in there and help. His choices are questionable sometimes."

Ikey was idly flipping through the cd stacks, not really seeing them. He was thinking about Layla and wishing that she was there.

"Can I help?" Layla said, bringing him out of his daydream.

"Please" Ikey said. "I see that since your sister moved in and Janet is here all the time, there are a lot more choices."

Layla came to stand beside him and once again Ikey had to fight the urge to run his fingers through her hair. Instead he looked at her and said "Did you have fun at Sully's?"

"I had the best time. I feel like I've known Hannah and Janet my whole life. They are so nice." She held up a cd and said "Check it, look what I found. I burnt this cd for my sister." As she loaded the cd she didn't see Ikey's stunned expression. He couldn't believe it, a girl who talked like him.

Ikey thought he had died and gone to heaven when he heard the cd that she had chosen. Ikey had a secret love for the 70's and Journey was one of his favorite groups. 'Lights' happened to be his favorite song. He took this as a good sign. A very good sign.

"Thank you, Layla" Janet and Eddie said in unison from the porch.

Layla wandered around the room, looking at all of the strange things in the room.

"You should have seen it before your sister cleaned up in here" Ikey told her.

"I like it, it feels homey " Layla said as she went to sit on the couch. "Come sit with me."

Ikey went to join her on the couch and couldn't believe how nervous he felt. When she took his hand like she had at the bar he felt much better, but he still didn't know what to say to her. She let go of his hand and turned to face him. "Talk to me, I won't bite. I promise."

"What do you want to know?" Ikey asked her.

"Everything, all the gory details."

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Ikey was pleased when she scooted under his arm and leaned into him. He pulled her close and started talking. He told her about growing up in Knights Ridge and they discovered a shared past at private school. Ikey loved hearing her talk about all of her sisters since he was an only child. They both confessed their love of music from the 70's to each other. They were so busy talking that they didn't notice Phil and Pizza Girl go upstairs. When Eddie and Janet came in a little bit later, Ikey looked at his watch and noticed how late it was.

"It's pretty late and you must be tired. Do you want me to go so you can go to sleep?"

Layla pulled his arm closer around her and said "I don't want you to go anywhere. This feels nice"

Eddie wandered into the other room and loaded Janet's favorite Foreigner cd into the stereo while she put the last glass in the dishwasher. As they headed up the stairs, he called back to Ikey and Layla "Good-night kids. See ya in the morning."

When Eddie's door shut at the top of the stairs, Layla tilted her head up and looked him in the eyes.

Ikey swallowed hard and said "Uh-Oh. You're makin me nervous again."

"So are you ever going to kiss me?" Layla had wanted to kiss him from the first moment she saw him and was pretty proud of herself that she had waited this long.

Ikey had been feeling the same thing. He tipped her chin up and softly kissed her. When he felt her melt into him, he kissed her a little deeper. Pulling back, he looked at her and knew that he was lost. When she swung her legs over his to scoot over into his lap he pulled her closer and kissed her until they were both breathless. Layla could have sworn that she felt the earth move a little and couldn't believe how right everything was feeling.

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Since Pizza Girl had an early class everyone but Janet was up the next morning. Eddie and Janet had talked for hours after they went upstairs and he was being nice and letting her sleep. While Phil walked Pizza Girl to the door, Eddie went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Passing by the living room he smiled at what he saw. Ikey had fallen asleep with his feet on the coffee table, reminiscent of the way he would often fall asleep at Sully's. The difference was the girl asleep with her head on a pillow in his lap. Ikey opened his eyes and saw Eddie laughing at him. Eddie mouthed the word 'coffee' at him and pointed to the kitchen. Ikey eased himself out from under Layla and recovered her with the blanket. He followed Eddie to the kitchen and closed the door.

Eddie ginned at him and said "Dude, there was a perfectly good bed upstairs. You didn't have to sleep on the couch."

"We were fine on the couch. And besides, I didn't want to wake her up." After Layla had fallen asleep in the middle of telling him about why she had quit her job in Boston, Ikey had spent a long time just watching her sleep.

When Phil joined them in the kitchen, Eddie looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Well, did you ask her?"

Phil shook his head and said "Tonight. And I want you all to be here. Let's do dinner in the backyard, it looks nice out there and I think after last night I can go that far. I might need some help setting up, though."

"Layla and I can help you here if Eddie and Janet will do the shopping." Ikey volunteered.

The rest of the day was spent in a whirlwind of activity. Phil was so busy that he forgot to worry about actually being outside. Eddie went to work with a list to pick up at the store on the way home. Janet went to work with instructions to keep Pizza Girl busy until it was time for dinner.

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At 7:30 sharp Janet and Pizza Girl walked in the front door.

"Where is everybody?" Pizza Girl asked.

Layla came through the kitchen door and grabbed her sister in a bear hug. "Come upstairs with me. We're having dinner outside, so let's go get pretty for the guys."

After the girls headed upstairs with Pizza Girl, the guys concentrated on calming Phil down enough to make it outside.

"Phys, keep your eye on the prize. You can do it." Ikey held the door opened and waited for Phil to open his eyes.

Phil opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do this, not a problem. Let's go boys."

Layla and Ikey had outdone themselves on the backyard. They had discovered about a million twinkle lights in the garage and from the looks of it they had used every one.

Candles were placed strategically around on the table and there was even a nice vase of flowers that Ikey had picked when their next door neighbor wasn't looking.

"Nice job Ikey" Eddie said.

"It was all Layla, I was just the muscle" Ikey told him as he finished lighting the candles.

Eddie gave him a long look and said "So, have you found your Angela?"

"I think so. I hope so." Ikey told him. "Check it, here they come."

Janet and Layla pushed Pizza Girl ahead of them out the door. She stopped short when she saw what everyone had been up to during the day. "Is this why you made me go shoe shopping with you?" she asked Janet.

"Guilty as charged" Janet said as she went to sit beside Eddie at the table.

Layla walked to Ikey and he put his arm around her and led her to the other side of the table.

Pizza Girl looked at Phil and he beckoned her to the head of the table and pulled the chair out for her.

"You look beautiful" he told her as he sat down beside her. He reached under the table and brought out a small bouquet of flowers and handed them to her.

Pizza Girl took the flowers and smiled at the stargazer lily in the middle. He had remembered that they were her favorite. As her hand closed around the stems, she felt something hard. Looking closer, she saw that it was a diamond solitaire in an antique setting. "What is this, Phil?"

"You've been my eyes to the world for over a year now. I want you to be more than just my eyes, I want you to be my everything. Marry me." He was holding on to her hands and looking into her eyes.

"Really?" she said. She could feel everything falling into place as she looked into his eyes.

"Really" he replied. "I am out here because of you. You make me a better person. Please say yes."

Before anyone knew what was happening, Pizza Girl launched herself at Phil and tackled him. She smothered him in kisses and said "Yes, yes, yes I will marry you. Yes, a million times."

Ikey leaned over to Layla and whispered to her "I can't wait to see their kids."

Layla smiled at him and said "Let's go get the food, I'm starving. Let's give them a few minutes alone."

Janet overheard and pulled Eddie out of his chair. "Good idea, we'll help."

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The three couples spent the next few hours laughing and talking. The girls admired the ring and the guys were giving Phil a hard time about settling down. After a few hours Phil had reached his limit in the outdoors so Pizza Girl took him inside. Eddie and Janet left to go back to her house. She had been gone for a few days and needed to check on things.

Ikey had carried a stack of plates inside to the sink. When he returned he saw Layla out in the hammock at the back of the yard, gazing up at the stars. When he got closer he saw a trace of tears on her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He reached down and took her hand. "Tell me."

Layla made room in the hammock for him. When they were settled in with her head on his chest, she told him "Nothing is wrong. I'm just feeling a little blue. I'm happy for my sister, but I'm a little scared about where my life is going."

"Yeah, I get that. I've been feeling the same way lately. Until I met this girl in a bar. Somehow, tonight, right now everything feels better. I made a pretty bad mistake last year and somehow they all forgave me. Just when I felt the worst, everything got better. Let me help you. Let me make you feel better." Ikey pushed her hair out of her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her slowly all over her face then crushed her to him in a hug.

Her voice was muffled in his chest, but he could understand her when she said "Isn't life strange? Two days ago I was miserable in Boston and now here I am with you." She raised her head to look at him. "Thank you for understanding. I am so happy for my sister and I was feeling selfish for being sad. I guess I should stay around for the wedding."

"Just for the wedding?" Ikey asked her.

"Oh no, not just the wedding. I think I have another very good reason to stay. That is, if you will have me. You might get tired of me, you know." She hopped out of the hammock and said "Wait here, I have a surprise for you."

When she came back she was carrying her iPod and a small speaker system. As she pulled him up from the hammock he heard 'Sharing the Night Together' coming from the speakers. "How did you know I like Dr Hook?" he asked her.

"I didn't really know, I was just hoping. Dance with me" she told him.

Ikey took her in his arms and they danced under the stars. He finally got the chance to run his hands through all of those curls.

When Eddie home the next morning he found them asleep in the hammock. He poked Ikey awake and said "For goodness sakes man, let that girl sleep in a bed someday."

Ikey just smiled. He was working on that one.


	3. Letting go and moving on

It was one of those rainy Sunday mornings that always seem to show up just when you need it the most. Ikey usually hated this type of day, but he was thankful for it this time. The last three months had been a blur of activity and a little down time was feeling pretty good. Layla mumbled in her sleep and scooted closer to him. He was still amazed that this beautiful creature loved him. They had spent the last three months getting to know each other better, and even though she still confused the heck out of him he fell more in love with her every day.

When she had decided to stay in the Ridge permanently, Layla had started substitute teaching . That had eventually turned into a full time job when one of the art teachers had left to get married. She had become fast friends with Hannah and Janet and all the girls spent a lot of time together. Layla had never realized how much having girlfriends meant to her before and she marveled to Ikey every day how great it was. He totally understood since he felt the same way about the guys.

Things were looking up for Ikey in the job department also. A few weeks ago he had been able to quit working for Ray and had started working with Nick and Eddie. Best Friends Windows was doing so well that they had been able to hire Ikey full time and a few other part time employees.

Layla shifted again in her sleep and Ikey pulled her closer to him and decided that breakfast could wait. As he listened to Layla's soft breathing and the rain pelting the window he thought about some of the other changes that had happened in the past three months.

Nobody knew exactly what was going on with Nick and Hannah. Ray had called off the wedding when they found out that Nick was Sam's father. Hannah spoke about it to the girls, but Layla refused to break her trust and tell Ikey about it. Nick had been taking it one day at a time. He seemed to know that it would take a long time for Hannah to completely trust him again and he wasn't going to push the issue. He had told the guys that it was enough that he was in Sam's life, everything else would come in good time.

Eddie and Janet had become a solid couple. It had taken a lot of talking and a few leaps of faith, but they had come through in the end. Ikey got a kick out of it every time Janet busted Eddie's chops, but he couldn't laugh too hard because Layla was pretty good in that department herself.

Phil had never been happier. He loved all the people in the house and everyday it got easier for him to go outside. He still went out mostly at night and always for a good reason but it did get better every time. He and Pizza Girl had decided to have the wedding at Christmas and the preparations were already in full swing. Pizza Girl was ecstatic to have her sister back in her life and they spent as much time together as they could.

Owen and Allison were back together after a few months of counseling and Ikey was glad for them. Their marriage was stronger than ever and thanks to Layla, Ikey was slowly forgiving himself for the havoc he had caused them. Owen had even forgiven Ikey. After Angela's funeral it was just too hard to be mad.

"What are you thinking about so hard, Babe?" Layla had awakened to find herself wrapped in Ikey's arms, but he had looked a million miles away.

"Just thinking how much everybody has changed lately. About how much girls change our lives." he told her.

"Is that a bad thing?" she couldn't resist teasing him. "We could always leave you alone."

"Don't even think about that." Ikey couldn't imagine his life without her. They had taken a lot of heat over their quick relationship, but neither of them had ever backed down. They both truly believed that they were meant to be together and didn't care what anybody else thought.

"Are you sure you want to go tonight?" He asked her.

The whole gang was getting together that evening for the first time as a whole. Nick and Hannah had invited everyone to have dinner at Hannah's house. This would be the first time that Layla and Allison had been in the same room and Ikey was scared to death, although Layla had assured him that everything would be fine. He wasn't entirely sure that he believed her due to the devilish gleam she got in her eye every time someone mentioned Allison.

"Sure, I'm looking forward to it. We have a few hours though, can we just stay right here and listen to it rain?" she asked him as she twined her fingers with his and rested her head on his chest.

"That is the best idea I have heard all week." Ikey said and kissed her to seal the deal.

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Layla had been quiet on the drive to Hannah's house. She couldn't admit it to Ikey, but she was apprehensive about meeting Allison. She really didn't know how she was going to react when she saw the woman who had hurt him so much. She had talked about it a little with Ikey the night before and she realized that Allison had not set out to hurt him. She even understood that Allison had some hurts of her own. Layla didn't think that any of that would matter if she saw one bit of pain in Ikey's eyes. All she could do was pray for a smooth evening. She looked down at her hand in his and took a deep breath. She could do this.

When they reached the front door, Layla stopped. Ikey was holding the door open for her, waiting for her to go in, but she couldn't seem to make her feet move.

"Close the door, please" she whispered to Ikey.

Ikey heard the distress in her voice and pulled the door closed. "What's wrong? You're freakin me out here."

"I can't go in there with her. I don't trust myself. What if I say something stupid? Oh God, what if I do something?" she sat down on the top step and buried her head in her hands. Ikey could hear her mumbling to herself. These were the times that confused him. He didn't know what else to do, so he sat down behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I can't understand you when you mumble. Dude, I can't help you if I can't understand you."

She turned sideways on the step to look at him. "I know we talked about this and I listened to everything that you said. I just really want to hurt her for what she did to you."

"It's not like that Layla. I was just as much to blame as she was, maybe more. I was sleeping with my best friends wife. My best friend, how stupid was that? But, I made that choice, me, not anyone else." He smoothed some stray curls away from her face and said "C'mon give it a try."

They hadn't heard the door open, so they were surprised when they heard Allison say "Ikey, would you leave us alone for a minute?"

Ikey hesitated and looked down into Layla's eyes. When she inclined her head toward the door, he gave her a quick kiss and whispered in her ear "Behave yourself."

When the door shut behind him, they both started talking at once. Layla motioned to Allison and said "After you."

Allison had thought about this moment for a while, but now that it was here she was having trouble forming the words. She swallowed hard and said "I think we should clear the air before we go inside. I don't think any of them need to hear this. Look, I just want you to know that Ikey and me, we were a mistake. I took advantage of his kind heart and I didn't even think about what it was doing to him. I want him to be happy and I was hoping that we could be friends."

"I don't think that we can be friends." Layla replied stiffly. She was trying very hard to hang on to her righteous indignation, but it was proving quite difficult in the face of Allison's humbleness. "What I really want to do is slap your face."

Allison stepped in front of her and offered her cheek. "Go ahead, take your best shot."

That was too much for Layla to resist. For years to come it would be referred to as 'The Slap Heard 'Round the Ridge'. Layla's hands flew to cover her face. "Oh my God! I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I think I had that coming. Ikey has been slapped around enough for the past year. I just hope you're done. That kinda hurt." Allison reached up and touched the red spot on her cheek. "I'm glad Ikey found someone who can hold her own. He's not an easy guy to be around, you know."

"Tell me about it. I want to twist his head off sometimes. And what is it with the 'dude' thing?" As much as Layla wanted to hate this woman, it was proving too difficult. "Come on, let's go in so they can all quit peeking out the windows."

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Inside the door Eddie was holding Owen back "Let them be, Allison can take care of herself." He looked over at the three girls on the other side of the room. "One of you want to go out there and bring them in before they start brawling on the lawn?"

Pizza Girl opened the door, but before she could step out Allison and Layla came through. Everyone was stunned to see them laughing like old friends. Owen rushed over to Allison but before he could say anything she held up her hand to stop him.

"Layla and I have worked things out, so you can all relax. Now, I'm going into the kitchen so you can all talk about me. Come on Owen, I think I need some ice." Allison walked into the kitchen with a stunned Owen trailing behind.

Layla walked directly to Ikey and buried her head in his chest. He put his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Dude, what was that?" When she started shaking in his arms, he thought she was crying. When he held her away from him to look at her face he saw that she was laughing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him then turned to the rest of the group and said "I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me. Hannah, can you forgive me?"

Hannah was doing her best to hold back her laughter and the snickering from Janet and Pizza Girl behind her wasn't helping any. "It's okay Layla. I think we all needed this."

All it took was one giggle from Pizza Girl to set them all off on a good laugh. Forcing herself to quit laughing, Hannah went towards the kitchen to get Allison and Owen. She was surprised to hear laughter coming from that direction also.

"If you two are going to laugh, you might as well come in here and join us." Hannah told them.

Hannah was right, the laughter was what they needed. When they had all composed themselves the girls went to help finish dinner while the guys set the table. It was a relaxed atmosphere when they all sat down to eat.

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After dinner it was very noisy in the kitchen with all the girls talking at once, so the guys headed to the living room for some peace and quiet.

Eddie looked over to where Ikey was lounging on the floor. He had a question that he had been wanting to ask for a while now. Making a quick decision, he blurted it out. "How do you do it, Ikey?"

"How do I do what?" Ikey was confused and he wasn't the only one in the room. All the other conversations stopped as they waited for Eddie's response.

"How do you tell her you love her everyday and make it look so easy? How do you get the words out?" From the look on Eddie's face Ikey knew that he was serious, but he still didn't totally understand what he was saying.

"Why are you asking me, Owen and Phys do it every day, ask them." he nodded over at the men in question and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's just different" Eddie ran his hand through his hair in frustration and tried again to make his point. "Owen is married and Phys is, well, he's Phys. I want to know how you do it."

Ikey was starting to see what Eddie was driving at "It's easy, I tell her I love her because it's the truth. Why should I hide from it? If I didn't have Layla what would I have? I mean, I have a girl with a theme song and a killer right hook, so what's not to love? Why? You askin' for a specific reason?"

Eddie thought about what Ikey had just said for a few seconds before he replied "I want to tell Janet that I love her, but I just don't know if it's the right thing. How do I know if it really is love?"

"I think that's something every man has to decide for himself. It's been different for all of us. Maybe you just need to get over yourself and quit thinking so much." Nick told him.

"Check it, just think of which way you want your life. With her or without her. It's simple after that." Ikey said.

They cut the conversation short when the girls entered the room. They spent the rest of the evening joking with each other and telling Layla and Pizza Girl stories from their youth.

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Layla was quiet on the drive home, also. Ikey knew she was thinking about the evening so he gave her some space. He waited until they were inside before he asked her "Everything okay over there, Rocky?"

"Yeah, I think so. I feel a lot better about things. Maybe some day you will tell me the whole story. I have eyes and I can see why you were attracted to Allison so you don't have to hide that from me. I get it. I even think that I could be friends with her. Would that be okay with you or do you think it would be too weird?"

"It's okay with me and I think everyone else would like that, also." he was loading a cd as he was answering her. "Do you remember this? Come dance with me."

He had put in his Guns 'N Roses cd and 'Patience' was playing. Since that was the song playing when her first laid eyes on her, it had become his favorite.

Layla walked over to stand in front of him and rested her hands lightly on his chest. She had twisted her hair up for the evening but Ikey liked it best when it was loose, so he pulled the clip out and spread it around her shoulders. She brought her hands to his face and pulled him down to kiss her. It was a long lingering kiss. They both knew that a milestone had been passed on this night and an unseen pressure seemed to have been lifted from them. Ikey felt like he could finally put his past mistakes behind him and as he kissed Layla he could feel his future opening up. As Layla danced with him, she held on tightly and sent up a prayer of thanks for this man. She knew that other people saw a different Ikey, but that didn't matter to her. She knew the real one and she had no doubts that he was the love of her life. She knew that her life was better with him in it. The guys would die if they knew that the girls had heard their conversation but Layla was happy that they had. She knew that Ikey loved her, but it was nice to hear him tell someone else.

She tilted her head back and looked up at him "We heard you guys talking tonight. It was nice to hear you tell Eddie why you love me, it made me feel good. Thank you."

"No thanks needed. I just told him the truth. I wish he would get his head out of his butt before he does anything else stupid. It's not pretty when he's not with Janet. Do you think she will say anything to him?"

"Probably not, it was just nice for her to hear. It'll make things easier for her." As she was talking Ikey had been dancing her toward the big club chair in front of the window which had become one of their favorite places to sit and watch the stars. He pretended to trip and fell with her on top of him into the chair. She wasn't buying it and decided to get her revenge. She started tickling him with no mercy and it turned into a free for all in the small apartment. They finally called a truce and settled back in the chair. Over a carton of Cherry Garcia with one spoon, Ikey told her everything that he had been holding back about Allison. By the time he was done Layla knew for sure that he had put the past behind him and just like they had every night of the past three months they fell asleep with Layla wrapped securely in his arms.


	4. Is she or isn't she

The 4th of July had come and gone and there was a touch of Fall in the air. The past Summer had been the best one of Ikey's life and he was sad to see it end but Fall was his favorite season. He was looking forward to sharing it with Layla, he just hoped she still felt the same. They had both been working such long hours that it was hard to find time together. Best Friends Windows was doing so well that Eddie had sold half of his landscaping business to Ikey, letting Ikey be in charge of the day to day operations. Layla spent a lot of time with her sister getting ready for the wedding, plus she was preparing for the school year to start. Sometimes, when he looked at her, it seemed like she was a million miles away in a place where he just couldn't reach her. On the surface, she was still shiny, happy Layla, but over the last few weeks Ikey had caught a little sadness in her eyes. Whenever he asked her what was wrong she would just tell him that he was being silly and change the subject. Pulling into the driveway, he saw her in the chair by the window, her favorite place to read, think or sketch.

From her chair by the window, Layla saw him pull into the driveway. She knew that she was probably hurting him by her silence, but she couldn't help herself. She could see that he knew something was wrong and it was killing her, and the fact that he was giving her space made it even worse. She would give anything to never hurt him. She wanted desperately to tell him, but she just couldn't until she knew one way or another. Looking out the window again, she saw that Ikey was still sitting in his truck. She wondered what was keeping him as she reached for her cell phone.

Ikey had been about to turn the key off in the truck until he heard the song playing on the radio. It was Pat Monohan's 'Her Eyes' and he just had to listen to it. The very first time he heard that song it had floored him, it was like somebody had sat down and written a song about Layla. Every time he had heard it since it hit him just as hard. As the song played, he found himself bargaining with God, promising anything if He just wouldn't take her away. His cell phone rang just then. It was Layla, he could tell from the ring. 'You're My Best Friend' from Queen was her current addition to his phone. She liked to surprise him with new ringtones so he never knew what he was going to hear when she called. Instead of answering, he turned the key off and got out of the truck. Standing in the driveway, he waved up to her and blew her a kiss. She gave him a big smile and motioned him up the stairs.

When he got upstairs he could see that she was dressed to go out and to him she looked good enough to eat. "Why the good clothes? I thought we were staying in tonight." Ikey said to her as her caught her around the waist and pulled her close for a hug.

"Allison called, she and Owen invited us for dinner tonight. So go shower, I told her we would be there at 6:00." Layla told him as she pushed him towards the bathroom. In a strange turn of events, Layla had become good friends with Allison and had been happy to hear from her earlier that day. She knew that Ikey was growing a little impatient with her but this would at least delay things for one more day. After all, just like Scarlett said, tomorrow is another day.

On the way to the Rowan's Layla kept up a steady stream of conversation about her day and asked many questions about his. It bothered Ikey that she seemed to be avoiding anything important, but sensing her need he once again gave her space. He just hoped that this need for space worked itself out soon.

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Allison had sent the guys out for ice and she and Layla were sitting at the picnic table watching the kids play in the backyard.

"So what's got you all tweaked? If I may borrow an expression from Ikey." Allison said with a little smile. "You just don't seem like yourself lately."

Layla hadn't realized just how much she needed to talk to someone until Allison gave her the chance. "I'm late."

"Late for what?" Allison asked her.

"You know, late as in it's not here yet." Layla was trying to be as discreet as possible since the kids were within earshot.

When she realized what Layla had just said, Allison called to the kids. "Kids, go play in the sandbox, I'll call you when dinner is ready." She looked back to Layla "Now spill it sister."

"Two weeks and a few days. I've never been this late and I am freaking out. I totally do not know what to do."

"Have you been to the doctor?" When Layla shook her head, Allison continued "Have you told Ikey?" Allison had a million other questions, but she bit her tongue at Layla's expression. "You haven't said anything to him, have you?"

"What's there to say? Your girlfriend might be pregnant. Your life as you know it might be over. Your girlfriend is an idiot for letting this happen."

Allison reached across the table and took Layla's hands. "First of all, you are not an idiot, and if you are pregnant you certainly didn't get there all by yourself. Secondly, Ikey is a big boy and he can handle anything you throw at him. And he loves you like there is no tomorrow. There's really no sense in getting this worked up if you haven't even been to the doctor."

"I have an appointment tomorrow morning so I should know by lunch I guess." Layla told her.

"You need to talk to Ikey. You shouldn't go through this alone. I know that he would want to be by your side whether you are or you aren't." Allison said.

"I know, but if I am I will probably lose it for a bit and he shouldn't have to see that. If I'm not then I am going to feel like a complete doofus for getting this worked up and I don't want him to see that. Do you see my quandary?" Layla said with a touch of humor.

"I do." Allison said with a squeeze of her hand. "I guess you just wait until tomorrow and then you can decide if you want to freak out or feel stupid. Until then, let's have a nice evening. You know Owen is over the moon since those two have been hanging out again and he just adores you."

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"Check it, I don't think she loves me anymore." Ikey told Owen.

"What are you talking about? That girl is crazy about you, everybody knows that." Owen replied. "What's got into you? Do you have sunstroke from too much landscaping?"

"I don't know, things have just been different the past two weeks or so. It's like she's avoiding me and any time I ask her what's wrong she just blows me off." It felt good to talk to Owen like this, to let out some of his frustration.

"I can tell you one thing that I have learned from being married. You never know what's really going on in their heads until they tell you. Relax, she'll tell you in good time. Is she still staying with you?" Owen asked as he pulled the car into the driveway.

"Yeah, the apartment is kinda small and my Mom being near is a little weird, but she keeps telling me to not worry. She said she likes it and I should put everything back into the business instead of worrying about a house. I guess she's right, there's plenty of time for all of that. I've just been thinking a lot about settling down and all of that. You know, like what you have."

Owen handed him the bag of ice and grabbed the beer from the backseat and said "All in good time my man, all in good time."

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Ikey noticed that Layla seemed a little more relaxed by the time he and Owen returned with the ice. He followed Allison into the kitchen to help her carry out some of the food. "For whatever you said or did, I thank you."

Allison looked at him, trying for her most not guilty look. "I don't know what you mean."

"Whatever, dude. Just thanks." Ikey said as he headed into the backyard.

"You know how we girls love it when you call us dude." Allison said as she followed him.

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Ikey could see Layla's profile by the glow of the streetlights as they were driving home. She seemed to be in her own world once again. When he laid his arm across the back of the seat in a silent invitation, she moved closer to him and placed her hand on his leg. 'So far, so good' Ikey thought. When he started to speak , she interrupted him to say "Can we just be together tonight and worry about everything else tomorrow? I promise we will talk then, I just don't want to talk tonight. Is that okay?"

"Will you answer one simple question?" Ikey asked her. "Do you love me?"

She turned towards him and placed a kiss right under his ear, her favorite place when she couldn't reach his lips. Sometimes Ikey liked that even better than the lips and it made him cave every time.

"Of course I love you. Until my last breath and then some" she told him.

"Okay, that's good enough for me." Ikey was relieved since that was the only thing that he had been worried about. Whatever was making her blue he could handle as long as she loved him.

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While Layla brushed her teeth she could hear Ikey moving around. She wondered what he was doing since he normally fell into bed leaving her to turn off lights and such. As she turned the bathroom light off she saw that he had been busy. He had placed a few candles around and the stereo was playing softly. When she heard the song he was playing she had to smile as she thought of the lyrics. Ikey had a gift for finding those kinds of songs, romantic but not fluffy. Tonight he had pulled out her old Cheap Trick cd and 'Tonight it's You' was the track he had chosen.

_All I want is a place in your heart to fall into_

_All I need is someone to love, and tonight it's you_

_Come to my world, come away with me_

_Smile with your eyes so I can see_

He was lounging on the bed in his boxers with his hands behind his head. Layla crawled into the bed and snuggled in next to him with her head on his chest. He smelled like soap and that unmistakable Ikey smell of sun. That is what he always reminded her of, sunshine and the outdoors. He was so unlike any other guy she had ever known and she still couldn't explain it to anyone. All she knew is that she would give anything to spend the rest of forever in his arms. When he brought his arms down to wrap them around her she looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her. From the look in his eyes she knew that it wasn't sleep on his mind, and that was okay with her. The next song was playing as he placed his lips on hers for a kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.

_Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon_

_Remember after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame._


	5. She is! Now what?

The last month had been a complete nightmare for Layla. For about the gazillionth time she wondered just why life had to be this dang complicated. The 2nd of August would forever be etched in her mind as officially the worst day of her life. She would never forget the look on Ikey's face when she told him that she was pregnant. She had expected a lot of things, but total silence coupled with that look was not one of them. She had given him some time to actually form words, hoping that she was mistaking his silence. After waiting for what seemed like and eternity, she had walked out of the apartment. As she was walking away she knew that if he had simply called her name or followed her she would have turned around, but he didn't. She sometimes wondered if it was her pride or something else that had made her keep walking and had kept her from taking his calls. She woke up every day feeling like a piece of her was missing but as miserable as she was, she just couldn't get the look on his face out of her mind. Janet, Allison and her sister all told her that she should give him another chance but Hannah, being a mother herself, understood her reticence. A baby changes everything and Layla knew that she didn't need someone around who couldn't step up to the plate. She just wished that she could quit loving him, quit wanting him and quit missing him. She felt like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and the guilt of hurting him was killing her. On the other side of that coin was the anger at him for not being there.

The girls were gathered for their weekly dinner date at Murphy's. They were all so busy that it was hard to see each other, but the weekly dinner was something that none of them missed. As Layla went to get some extra napkins the other four looked at each other in silent agreement. They had decided that her separation from Ikey had gone on for far too long and it was way past time to talk about it. When Layla returned to the table, Pizza Girl took a deep breath and dove right in.

"You're my sister and I love you, but this has got to end. You're not doing anything but hurting yourself and Ikey. So he is scared out of his mind, so what. Deal with it." Pizza Girl said with a tone of voice that Layla remembered from their childhood. The sisters locked eyes in a silent battle of wills.

Janet chimed in "I know you haven't seen him lately, but it's getting ugly. He drinks way too much and he's been in two fights just this week at Sully's. That's not Ikey. He did used to drink a little too much, sometimes, before you came along, but it is far beyond that now. He's not the fun loving guy he was, he seems sad all the time now."

"Why are you all doing this? He knows where I am, nothing is stopping him from being a man and dealing with this." Layla looked around the table at her friends.

"Because at some point in the past year Ikey has helped each one of us and we love both of you. You two belong together, you just need to get over yourselves and find what you used to be, find that true love that you believe in so much." Hannah told her. As Layla raised her eyebrow, Hannah laughed and said "I know, that's like the pot calling the kettle black, but we're not here to talk about me."

"I want to. I just don't know how." Layla said softly. In her heart she knew that they were meant to be together, she didn't need reminding of that. When Allison reached across the table to hold her hand, she was grateful and sent up a prayer of thanks that she had all these wonderful women in her life. "All I really do know is that he has to find his way own way. I can't force him and I won't beg him."

They ate their dinner and talked the night away. They didn't exactly come up with any life altering solutions but Layla appreciated their effort.

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Ikey was in a similar situation across town at Sully's. He spent every waking moment kicking himself for letting her walk out that door. Why didn't he just say something to her? After all these weeks he still didn't have an answer. He had tried calling her, but she never took his calls. He figured if she didn't want to talk on the phone then she surely didn't want to see him. The old Ikey came back and he retreated to lick his wounds. He started to wonder what she had ever seen in him in the first place. He was still finding her stray hairs all over his apartment and truck and sometimes the need to feel her curls tickling his nose was like a physical pain. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Owen and Eddie had finally had enough of his bad mood. They had him cornered in a booth and were bound and determined to get him to talk.

"What do you want me to say? She's pregnant and I'm scared to death. When she told me I blanked and I still blank every time I try to think about what to say to her. So then I just don't try at all." He took his hat off and started twisting it in his hands.

"I can't believe that you're going to let a little fear ruin the best thing that will ever happen to you. You aren't the first guy with a pregnant girlfriend and you aren't the first one to be scared either." Eddie told him as he snatched to hat out of his hands before he could destroy it.

"Allison told me that she's not doing to good. She looks pale and instead of gaining weight she seems to be losing it. Dude, I'm thinking that if you don't fix things soon there may not be a baby to worry about." Owen told him. He knew that these were dirty tactics but desperate times call for desperate measures. Allison had told him that in confidence, but Owen had decided that she would forgive him for this small indiscretion.

"What? There's something wrong with her? With the baby?" Ikey said with a touch of panic in his voice.

Owen took a little pity on him and said "I didn't say she was sick or anything, I just meant that you aren't doing her any good by staying away."

Eddie handed him his hat back and said "Go see her. Don't worry about what to say, just be there. That's all she wants. And I happen to know that she will be home tonight." Eddie caught himself and said "At our house, you know what I mean."

Owen and Eddie left but Ikey stayed to think. He seemed to do some of his best thinking at Sully's. He was still there when Janet came into work. Since she and Eddie were in an off phase of their on again-off again relationship Ikey was the only one of the guys that she saw on a regular basis. She had always had a soft spot for Ikey and he always treated her kindly, even when she was apart from Eddie.

"What goes on?" Janet said as she slid into the other side of the booth.

"I'm an idiot. That's what goes on." he told her.

"You want to know something?" When she saw that she had his complete attention she continued "I know someone who is just as miserable as you. Why don't you just go see her. I know she wants to see you, she's just too scared to tell you that. Think about it." Janet punched him lightly on the shoulder as she walked away. She watched him for the rest of the night and she could tell that he was doing some heavy thinking.

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Layla had come back to the house with a lot on her mind. Maybe she was being too hard on him. She just wished that she could snap her fingers and take back the last few weeks. When she was still awake even after Eddie had come home she finally gave up on sleep and went downstairs. She found Eddie out in the backyard just sitting in a lawn chair with his feet up on another one. When her saw her, her moved his feet and motioned to the chair for her to sit.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked her. Owen was right, she did look a little too skinny. At her nod and shrug he told her "Me neither, I guess I have too much on my mind for sleep."

"Can I ask you a question?" she said after she had settled herself in the chair with her feet tucked under her. When Eddie nodded at her she continued "Do you believe in love? You know, the 'love forgives all' kind of love. Not hearts and flowers but real life love."

"That's a pretty complicated question for me. I do believe in love I just have a hard time with the forgiveness part. For you I would say yes." He stood up and leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Think about forgiving him, he needs you and from the looks of it you need him."

After he had disappeared inside, Layla moved to the hammock. Just being there reminded her of Ikey. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel his arms around her and smell the sunshiny smell of him. Before she knew it the tears were streaming down her cheeks. From his window upstairs Eddie could tell she was crying and his heart broke for her, but he knew that this was something that she would have to work out on her own.

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Ikey didn't know exactly what was keeping him from Layla, he just knew that his feet never seemed to carry him in her direction. He couldn't shake the thought that she would be better off without him. What business did he have trying to raise a child. No matter what the guys said to him he couldn't turn off that tape recorder that was always running in his head telling him that he just wasn't good enough for her. The only thing that he knew for sure was that he missed her.

As the days passed, the girls grew more and more worried about Layla. She refused to listen to any more pleas on Ikey's behalf. She maintained that if he had something to say then he could say it to her face. Her brave front wasn't fooling anyone and they could all see the strain it was taking on her. Even Sam noticed that something was wrong when he saw her at school and he had started bringing her snacks and cookies everyday. One Friday after school when Sam went to her classroom he found her crying silently at her desk. Without bothering her he quietly left, but when he got home he told Hannah what he had seen. That was the final straw for Hannah. She picked up her cell phone and rallied the troops.

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Layla had brought lesson plans home with her to work on and by 2:30 Saturday afternoon she was up in her room working on them. She always made it a point to stay out of the way when the guys were all there. No matter what was going on between her and Ikey she wanted him to be able to come to the house without feeling uncomfortable.

When Ikey walked in the door at Phil and Eddie's he was confused. Nobody but Phil was there and nothing had been set up. Phil handed him a CD case and said "We have all had enough of you two being stubborn. You will do something about this or I will. That baby she is carrying will be my niece or nephew and that makes this a family situation so man up my friend. I'm going upstairs now. You put this CD in and then sit your butt down on that couch and wait." Before Ikey could get a word in edgewise Phil had disappeared up the stairs and shut his door. Ikey looked at the CD in his hand and shrugged. Might as well put it in and see what it was. Ikey had a lot of doubts about himself but he trusted the guys implicitly.

Upstairs, Layla heard the music start and was listening to it with half an ear until she realized what song it was. How could they play that song, how could they be that cruel to Ikey? As she stomped to the door on her way to tell someone off she heard _What'll you do when you get lonely no one waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long you know it's just your foolish pride. _For Layla it was almost like hearing the song for the first time and, all at once, she understood the pain in the words that Clapton had written so many years ago. As she went down the stairs she wondered if someone was trying to tell her something. When she reached the bottom she stopped and stared. Ikey was the only one in the room and he hadn't even noticed that she was there yet. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He was wearing those camo pants that she liked so much with an old t-shirt that Layla knew was as soft as silk. She should know since she had spent many nights sleeping in it. This was all that she had wanted, for him to be here, for him to want to be here. She just prayed that it was true. As she walked across the room he lifted his head and met her eyes. She had seen him from a distance a few times but she hadn't looked into his eyes, but now that she was, she felt shock and a little shame at what she saw there. She walked to the couch and stood in front of him. Neither one of them knew what to say and the silence became to much for Ikey. He reached out and pulled her between his knees and wrapped his arms around her with his face pressed to her stomach. He looked up at her and tried to speak but the words were locked in his throat. When she started pulling away he had a moment of panic that she was leaving so he pulled her into his lap. As she sat there in that familiar lap she had a thought that maybe things could be okay again. She laid her head against his chest and just enjoyed breathing in his scent. There was plenty of time for talking later. When the next song started she raised her head to look at him. "How did Phil know about this one?"

"Phil knows everything. I probably told him. He pulled out all the stops, didn't he." Ikey had finally found his voice.

"My sister could have been involved, I wouldn't put it past her." They both lapsed into silence as they listened to the song that had been playing the last time they were happy together. _Wherever you go I'll be with you. Whatever you want I'll give it to you. Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon. Remember after the fire after all the rain I will be the flame. _

Through the thin fabric of his t-shirt Ikey could feel her tears as they started. He reached down and tipped her chin up like he had a thousand times and looked into her eyes. "I want to be with you. I still think that you deserve better but I want to be here if you will have me." He placed his hands on the sides of her face and wiped at her tears with his thumbs. That was too much for Layla, she couldn't take it anymore. She pulled him down and kissed him. In the moment that his lips touched hers she felt her world become right. Whatever their problems they could work them out as long as they were together. When she ran her hands under the hem of his t-shirt Ikey finally reached his breaking point. He stood with her still in his arms and carried her out to his truck.

Things were quiet on the way home and that's exactly where Layla felt like she was going. Anywhere he was would be home. He had left all the shades down so it was dark when they entered the apartment, but Ikey stopped her from turning on the lights. She felt a little awkward standing there in the dark until he came back to stand in front of her. She smiled to herself as she realized what he had been doing. He had turned to stereo on. That was so typically Ikey, but being friends with Phil for almost 20 years had left a mark. He loved music and everything that happened in his life had a song to go with it. Leave it to Ikey to find the perfect song for this moment. _I'm so in love with you, I'm so in love with you. Whether it's right or it's wrong, I'm too weak to be strong. I'm so in love with you._

"Is this okay? Is the baby okay? Oh God, I can't believe I just said that." He started to walk away from her until she pulled him back. She ran her hands all the way under his t-shirt and up his chest and waited for him to lift his arms before she pulled it over his head. She threw it in the direction of the hamper and pressed herself to him. She couldn't stand being separated from him for another moment.

"The baby will be fine. We can talk about all of that in the morning. Right now I just need to be with you." She took his hand a led him to the bed, their bed.

_The song that Ikey plays is "So in Love With You" by Texas. A great band, check 'em out._


	6. November Rain

\/p>

-1Ikey had been admiring his work on the Thompson's rose garden, the very same one he had once thrown up in, when he heard a car behind him. Turning around he was surprised to see that it was Nick. "What goes on Nicky?"

Nick took a deep breath before he answered. This was going to be hard. "Ikey, you need to come with me. There's been an accident….." How could he say this? "Layla and Pizza Girl were in a car accident, they're at the hospital. Pizza Girl was pretty banged up and she's in surgery to set her leg, but I think Layla got the worst of it. She has you listed as her emergency contact so they need to talk to you." Nick steered a stunned Ikey to the car and kept up a steady stream of talk all the way to the hospital in an effort to keep him calm. 

Ikey could barely remember the ride to the hospital, just the soothing sound of Nick's voice and the hum of the tires on the pavement. He listened to what the doctor had to say with a heavy heart. After he filled in every one in the waiting room, he went to Layla's room. She was asleep when he got there and he was grateful for that, he needed some time to gather his thoughts. He held her hand and told himself that everything would be okay, they could make it through this. 

Layla opened her eyes to bright lights and pain everywhere on her body. "What happened?"

"You and your sister were in an accident. You're both going to be fine, she just got out of surgery and everything went well." He needed to tell her the rest, but he just didn't know how to say it. "Layla, I….."

She interrupted him "You don't have to say anything else. I already know what you need to say. I can feel it. I lost the baby." She closed her eyes and said. "Could I be alone now?" 

Ikey had no intention of leaving her, but when she was still refusing to speak to him hours later, he let Nick pull him from the room.

"What goes on with her?" Nick said as the door closed behind them. From the looks of things it was not going well.

"I don't know dude. She won't even talk to me." Ikey was feeling frustrated and he didn't know what to do. 

When Ikey left the room, Layla felt a sense of relief. She could finally cry. When the tears didn't come after he was gone, she ached for them. Anything to take away the big empty hole in her heart. There had to be something to cover up the big stain of guilt that she knew everyone would see the minute they saw her. How could she ever face Ikey again after what she had done. It didn't matter what the cops and doctors told her, it didn't matter what her friends had to say, she knew that the accident was her fault. She was the one driving so it had to be her fault. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Ten months later-sometime in late November_

Ikey pulled the note out of his wallet again, for the umpteenth time. It was a short note, 'I'm sorry' was all that she had written on the day that she had walked out of his life. That had been months ago. She had moved in with Janet, but that was pretty much the extent of his knowledge on the subject. He had spent the first four months calling her every chance he got and trying to see her, so much that he started to feel like a stalker. He eventually took the advice from the guys and let her be, but he didn't like it, he didn't like leaving things unfinished and questions unanswered. He had eventually started to live again, he had even gone on a few dates but everyone knew that his heart wasn't in it. He knew it was stupid but he sometimes looked at those two words and tried to find some meaning in them, something to give him some hope but all he saw was pain. 

Layla walked into her classroom and flipped on the lights. There it was, as usual, the single flower in the vase on her desk. There had never been a note, but she knew it was from Ikey, she just didn't know how it got there. Sometimes it was a rose, sometimes a daisy but it was always there. Her mind drifted back to the place it did every time she saw the flower, to the last time they were happy. When she was in his arms. As the first of her students entered the classroom, she put those thoughts away for another day. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The guys were gathered in the living room after another Saturday afternoon jam session. Pizza Girl was at Janet and Layla's so they had the house to themselves without a woman in sight.

Eddie had been quiet all day, barely even poking fun at them. Ikey looked over and saw that Eddie was gazing at him and said "Oh no, I don't like that look"

"When are you going to fix things with that girl? I mean, for God's sake man, how long will you let this go on. How long are you going to let her jerk you around?" Eddie asked him as he sat back and propped his feet on the coffee table. 

From the stunned looks on the faces around him and the silence in the room, Ikey knew that this wasn't a planned ambush. "I don't know what else I can do. I can't get her to answer the phone and she won't even look me in the eye if I see her on the street in passing. Short of kidnapping, I'm fresh out of ideas."

"Hannah says she feels guilty about the accident, but that's all that she could get out of her." Nick told them.

They all stopped looking at Ikey and turned their eyes to Nick, Eddie raised an eyebrow and Phil looked like he was trying to come up with something to say.

"Hannah said?" Owen asked. "Why is this the first time we're hearing that?"

"What?" Nick said. "We've been talking a little bit the last few days. She just told me this yesterday. Besides, doesn't Janet tell you anything, Eddie?"

"We have agreed that we have enough of our own problems to fight about, we leave other peoples alone."

"So why bring everything up today?" Ikey asked Eddie.

"I said I agreed to that with Janet, you're not Janet. I just can't take it anymore you two being so damn stubborn. Well, she's stubborn, Ikey, you are just an idiot." Eddie took a swig of beer and waited for the chips to fall. 

"She was here for dinner last night. She seemed happier than she had in a long time, more centered." Phil added. "It might be a good time to try to talk to her again."

"Not try. Do it." Eddie said, emphatically. "Quit standing in the corner like you're afraid to piss somebody off. You're not that Ikey anymore."

Across town Layla was listening to all the conversation swirl around her. Hannah, Allison and her sister were talking about the upcoming wedding but she couldn't keep her mind on the conversation. For some strange reason, her thoughts kept straying back to Ikey. When a break came in the wedding conversation she asked them "Do you think he could ever forgive me and take me back?" She looked around at all of them. "Close your mouth Hannah, it was a simple question."

"Not so simple. You have barely spoken his name for the last ten months and now you want to know if he can forgive you. Besides the fact that he will have to forgive you for leaving him like you did, what else is there to forgive?"

Janet came in from the kitchen, she had been listening while making the coffee. "Why today? We have all been trying to talk to you forever about this and you have refused to even think about talking about it. So why now? What's different?"

"I've been talking to someone, a counselor, to work through the guilt of the accident and I finally feel ready to confront it all." She reached over to take her sister's hand and said "We talked yesterday and I got some clarity. I just woke up today feeling better about things and something keeps saying that I need to see Ikey. I still love him so much it hurts. I'm just afraid that I have hurt him so bad he will never forgive me. If it wasn't for the flowers I don't think I would even have the courage to even think about talking to him."

"What flowers?" Hannah asked. 

Allison could answer this one. Since the start of the school year, they had been working in the same building. "Every day there is a single flower on her desk. Every single day. We never have figured out how it gets there."

Hannah thought for a second then smiled as she told them. "That's easy. Ikey has been friends with Mr. Cooper the head maintenance man since we were kids. Mr. Cooper is about to retire but I know he still sees Ikey. He told me last week when he brought his cat in for a check-up."

"So what should I do? Should I do anything?" Layla was amazed at the spark of hope that she was feeling. At the same time she felt despair, what if she had messed up so bad he would never forgive her. 

"I think that you should take a step back and regroup. Get your thoughts together before you talk to him. Just don't wait too long." Hannah cautioned. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Monday, there it was again, a single red rose this time. She looked closer and saw the note attached. 'I'm sorry' was all it said. She tucked the note into her pocket and prepared for the day. 

Tuesday it was a tulip with a note that said 'I miss you' and Wednesday's daisy had a note asking her to call him. So she did. After a few awkward moments in the beginning, it was surprisingly easy to talk. They both kept it light, neither of them ready for the hard stuff. When she hung up, Layla found herself smiling. For the next few weeks they continued their small conversations on the phone and Layla found herself looking forward to the time when she could call him. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girls were having their weekly dinner, but this time they had moved it to Sully's to accommodate Janet's work schedule. 

"So, how are things progressing with you and Ikey?" Hannah asked Layla.

"I'll tell if you will" Layla quipped. 

"Okay. Nick and I are going on a date tomorrow night. Now pay up."

Layla smiled at her, that was good news. "We've been talking on the phone every day for the last two weeks. I think it may be time for a face to face, but I am terrified."

"You know, maybe if you talked about it a little more it would be easier to tell it to Ikey" Janet suggested. "We're all friends here and we definitely know all about each others dirty laundry."

"Tell me about it" Allison deadpanned. They all erupted into laughter at the way she said it and by the time they were done they all had to wipe their eyes. When they ran through the stack of napkins, Layla turned to get some off of the table behind them. The first thing she saw was Ikey and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He must have felt her looking because he turned her way and he seemed to be having the same problem. She saw Ronnie come up behind him and tap him on the shoulder. He gave her a little wave as he reluctantly turned around. 

"Well now" Pizza Girl said "I think that face to face might be closer than you think. You better get to talking."

Layla thought for a second, trying to choose the right words. "I tried to find words to make this a little better sounding, but I can't find any. So here goes. I have gotten over being guilty for the accident. I realize that I wasn't driving the truck that hit us, I get that now. What I can't get over is the guilt for being relieved that there isn't a baby." There, she had finally said it out loud and it did sound as bad as she thought it would. She looked around at her friends and waited for their reaction. 

Hannah immediately grabbed her hands and said "That is nothing to be ashamed of."

"We could get into big 'everything happens for a reason' discussion but it would just lead to one conclusion here. You weren't ready for a child, it's not like turning on a light, so you felt relief. So what. I think you're forgetting that you also felt grief. We were all there, we saw it. Heck, we all cried with you when you finally let yourself cry. Give yourself a break." Allison said. 

Layla smiled as the other three started applauding Allison's speech. 

Over at the bar Ronnie asked Ikey "What is that all about?"

"Don't know. It doesn't matter as long as they are smiling." Ikey told him. It was really great to hear the laughter, maybe things would be better soon. "What's going on with you, anyway? Why'd you want to meet today?"

"Girl trouble" Ronnie told him. 

Ikey raised an eyebrow. "Same girl as last time?"

"Yeah, but things are different now. Nick is starting to spend time with Hannah and he hasn't seen Aubrey in weeks." Ronnie said. "Would it be wrong to ask her out?"

"Dude, you already laid one on her at the engagement party last May, why has it taken you so long?"

Ronnie blushed a little "You knew about that, huh?"

"I got a friend that bartends for that caterer. We all know, we've just been waiting for you to get the nerve up." Ikey teased him. He looked over and saw that the girls were all putting on their coats and hugging good-bye. He started over to them before he knew what he was doing. He was grateful when Ronnie grabbed his arm and pulled him back. 

"Not now" Ronnie told him. "Don't rush things."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Layla couldn't sleep after she got home and Janet was closing at the bar so she wouldn't be home for hours. Feeling restless, Layla put on her coat, grabbed her cell phone and headed out the door. Maybe a walk would help. She walked for awhile without paying attention to where she was. When she became aware of her surroundings, she shook her head. She was standing in front of Ikey's apartment. She could see that he only had the small desk lamp on. She could hear the stereo faintly from where she was standing. He was playing Guns 'N Roses "November Rain'. She sat down on the bottom step and listened to the music, thinking about love and forgiveness. She opened her phone and dialed Ikey's number. When he answered she could picture him lounging on the bed like he used to do, listening to music. _So if you want to love me then darlin' don't refrain. Or I'll just end up walkin' in the cold November rain. _

"Hey, what goes on?" Ikey said when he heard her voice on the phone.

"Not much, just sitting here thinking about you." She said the rest before she could chicken out. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 7:00? Is that alright?" Ikey didn't want to seem to eager, but it was hard.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then." Before she could say good-bye he interrupted her.

"I just wanted to tell you that you looked great tonight. See you tomorrow, have a good night. Good-bye Layla."

When she closed her phone she heard the song change but from where she was she couldn't make out this one. She got to her feet and headed home with a smile on her face. She hummed as she walked along thinking the words in her head. _And when your fears subside, and shadows still remain, I know that you can love me, when there's no one left to blame. So never mind the darkness, we still can find a way, 'cause nothing' lasts forever, even cold November rain._

\/p> 


	7. Patience and forgiveness

After the first awkward dinner, they fell into an easy habit of dinner two or three times a week and sometimes a movie. They each wanted more, but for their own separate reasons neither of them pushed past the simple place their relationship had ended up at.

Layla was sleeping soundly when she heard Janet's alarm clock from all the way down the hall. _Well they say that love is in the air, but never is it clear, how to pull it close and make it stay…_ "You tell 'em Sheryl" Layla said as she struggled out of her blankets and looked around for her robe.

His clock radio had been blaring for awhile when it finally penetrated Ikey's sleep. _I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds, and baby the way you make my world go 'round…_He reached for Layla but only found the same empty space that had been there for over a year now. He knew that he had to be patient, to let her come back at her own pace, but it was getting harder every time he saw her. He wanted her to come clean with him and bring everything out into the open but she avoided any conversation that even came close. Deciding that things needed to change, he picked up the phone and called Allison, she would know what to do.

"Layla…" Janet called down the hall. "Allison is on the phone. Do you want to call her back?"

"No, I got it in here" Layla replied as she picked up the extension in her room. "Hey Allison, what goes on with you?"

"Let's do lunch. Owen is going to Phil's at noon today so let's meet at Murphs'." Allison said.

"Okay" Layla agreed. "We can be ladies who lunch."

* * *

Allison was fidgeting with her sandwich and Layla was getting the feeling that there was something that Allison wanted to tell her. "Okay, whatever you need to say just go ahead and say it. We've been friends for long enough now that I don't think you need to worry about making me mad."

Allison looked at her for a moment and took a deep breath. "Ikey called me today. He really wants to move past where you are now but he doesn't know what to do. I wanted to be able to help him, but to tell you the truth, I don't exactly know what is going on in your mind either. We talk about everything under the sun, except the one thing that is breaking your heart." Allison paused and took a drink of her tea. "Please talk to me, you don't want to live in this limbo forever do you? I love you both and, selfishly, I want you to be together forever. So, if you won't do this for yourself, then do it for me."

To Allison's surprise, Layla started laughing. As the tears started streaming down Layla's face all Allison could do was look at her like she had gone crazy. Layla finally pulled herself together enough to talk. "I'm sorry Allison, I'm not laughing at you. It's just too funny. I've been wondering for a few weeks now how long it was going to be before he sent you after me." She started shaking her head "I am so pathetic, every time I turn around I need an intervention from my best friends. I don't know what it is about this man that brings out the crazy, neurotic in me."

"Maybe you love him and you're having trouble admitting that to yourself" Allison said.

"What do you mean? I've said that I love him all along." Layla was confused.

"Saying you love someone and trusting them with your heart and soul are two completely different things. I should know." Allison reached across the table and took Layla's hands in hers. "Look, if you truly love him then you have to love him with everything that you have, no holding back. If you can't do that, you have to let him go." Allison had a lot more argument prepared but Layla surprised her by agreeing with her.

"You're right. What should I do?"

"Well, I happen to know a guy who said that he would be home all night tonight. You could start there." Allison said with a smile.

* * *

After spending the afternoon at Phil and Eddie's, Ikey rushed home to get ready. Allison had told him that she talked to Layla but that was all she would say. He just had to hope that she would show up.

Layla had been lost in thought for awhile when she looked out the window and saw that it was getting dark. Her talk with Allison had given her a lot to think about, it was time to fish or cut bait as her grandfather used to say. She headed to the shower with a lighter heart than she'd had in a long time.

As Layla walked up the stairs to the apartment she thought about what song Ikey would have on the stereo. It was something she had done for as long as she had known him, unconsciously at first until she realized that she always looked forward to hearingwhat his music choice would be for whatever was going on. Before she could knock, the door opened and he was standing there. Suddenly, Layla was extremely nervous and even though they had been spending time together regularly, for some reason, it was feeling new and different. As he took her hand and led her inside she recognized his song choice, this time he was playing Tesla's 'Love Song'. _Love will find a way, darlin' love is gonna find a way, find it's way back to you, so look around open your eyes, love is gonna find a way. _

"Nice one" she said, indication the stereo.

"You like that one? Wait 'til you hear what I have ready for later" Ikey told her as he put her coat in the closet.

Layla gave him a searching look and asked "Are you flirting with me?"

He came over to her and cupped her face in his hands "You betcha, we have been too serious for way too long. Let's get back what we used to have. How does that sound?"

"It sounds wonderful, but I have to tell you something and you might change your mind." She sat down at the table, leaving him to take the chair on the other side. After he was sitting, she dove right in. "I have been a terrible, selfish individual." When he started to protest, she held up a hand to silence him. "No, let me finish. This isn't about what you think, it's about me. When I found out that I was pregnant it devastated me. I wasn't ready for something like that. I didn't know how to tell you that so I pushed all those thoughts aside and focused on the good. That was okay until the accident. When I woke up that day I immediately knew that I had lost the baby and I couldn't understand what I was feeling. Recently I have figured that out. I was sad for what could have been but underneath all that I felt relief. I have beat myself up for a long time about that and I will totally understand if you want me to go now." She had been looking at her hands while she was talking, but she looked up finally and met his eyes. Where she had expected to see anger all she saw was understanding and compassion.

"You don't get it do you? Somewhere along the line you have totally missed the point." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs at the ankle. This was going to be easier than he had thought. "It was never about the baby for me. Would it have been wonderful? Sure. Would it have made out lives better? I like to believe that answer is yes. However, it wasn't meant to be, so we need to move on." He sat up and reached for her hands "Okay I'm serious here, I don't think that you need my forgiveness but you have it. You have always had it." He wanted to get up and hold her, but he knew that he still needed to let her come to him. He could see that she was struggling with emotions and sat quietly while she thought about what he had said. She was still holding his hands, something he took as a positive sign.

He could hear tears in her voice when she said "I love you. I know, you probably think that you know all about that, but I am going to love you completely this time. I was unfair to you before, I think that I always kept a part of myself away from you, that's where I went with all those bad feelings. I went there when I should have gone to you." He could feel her grip tighten. "You say that I don't need your forgiveness, but you are so wrong there. I need you to forgive me for not loving you enough."

"You can spend the rest of our lives making it up to me if you want. I haven't exactly been perfect so let's call this a new start and let it all go." He got up from the table and went to the stereo to change the music. "Now, come dance with me like old times." He held out his hand to her and waited for her.

_I gotta tell you what I'm feelin' inside I could lie to myself, but it's true. There's no denying when I look in your eyes, girl I'm out of my head over you. I lived so long believing' all love is blind but everything about you is telling me this time, it's forever this time, I know, and there's no doubt in my mind_

She raised her eyebrows at him "KISS, was that your surprise? It is a pretty good one, I never saw it coming."

"Nope, that's not the good one yet. You're gonna have to wait for it. Now, are you going to dance with me or not?"

She walked into his arms and it felt like she had never been gone. She rested her head on his chest as they held each other and listened to the music. When the next song started playing Layla tipped her head back and asked him "Is this the good one?"

Ikey smiled down at her and said "Not even close." He pulled her tighter into his arms as Shooter Jennings sang about the love of his life. _Well of all the things I'm proud of and the places I've found in the sun, the way I find myself loving you is the best thing I've ever done._

"So, are you back for good? Are we back together?" Ikey asked her as they swayed to the music, their arms around each other with his cheek against her hair.

She stepped back to look at him while she spoke "I am back for good. I promise you, here and now, that I will never leave you again." She pulled him down for a quick kiss, knowing that if she let it go any further they wouldn't make it out of the apartment any time soon. "Now, I happen to know that there is a bar full of people who are dying to know what is going on with us. My sister is going to strangle me if we don't show up soon and Allison just about made me swear a blood oath. So come on, let's get this over with."

* * *

Ikey had always been one to take a good omen where ever he could find one, and the song playing on the jukebox as they entered Sully's was as good a one as he had seen lately. _Won't be afraid, got so much pride, and I've never been a loser and I just can't lose tonight. Winning it all, ain't gonna walk away. Giving it all no matter what you say._

They headed to the table where they could see all of their friends, even Phil, there on one of his rare nights out. Nick was the first to spot them as they made their way to the table holding hands. He nudged Eddie beside him and soon they were all looking. Layla didn't know who started the applause but soon most of the people in the bar had joined in. When it finally died down Ikey gave a small bow and pulled Layla down in a chair with him "Very funny guys."

Janet came over with a tray of shots for everyone. She hugged Layla and whispered in her ear "Way to go." The group of friends toasted each other and had a general good time. When it was time for Phil and her sister to go Layla walked to the door with them. Phil pulled her into a hug, something Layla had learned that he did rather frequently. "Could you guys stay together for a while this time? Every time I just about come to terms with the fact that I could someday be related to Ikey you break it off. I can only take so much you know. You as a sister I am good with, but Ikey as a brother may take a little time." Phil gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and told his wife "I'll meet you in Klaus." The sisters said good-bye and made plans for dinner on Sunday. Layla looked across the bar and caught Ikey's gaze on her, she smiled at him and motioned to the door. He nodded his head and said something to Owen before he headed her direction.

* * *

Ikey closed the door behind him and turned to Layla. "I know that look and the silence is a dead giveaway. What goes on in that head of yours?"

"I was just thinking about something that Hannah said a while back. She said that you needed to be able to forgive me for the way that I left you. And then I got to thinking that I have left you twice, which leads me to thinking about what a horrible person that I am." She told him as she hung her coat up. "I'm sorry, I'm such a girl, but I can't get that thought out of my head."

Ikey looked at her for a long moment before he said anything. "Take your shoes off."

"What?" Of all the things that she had expected him to say, that wasn't it.

"Dude, take off your shoes." He answered her as he walked over to the stereo.

Layla shrugged her shoulders and did as he had requested. She kicked her sneakers under the bed and looked at him as he came toward her. To her surprise he scooped her up in his arms and fell with her onto the bed. "Now be quiet and listen to the good one." He told her as her leaned against the headboard with her in his arms.

She laughed out loud as she listened. How did he do it, how did he always know what she needed to hear. _Dim all the lights sweet darlin' 'Cause tonight it's all the way. Turn up the old victrola gonna dance the night away. Love just don't come easy, No it seldom does. When you find the perfect love let it fill you up…._

She pulled him off the bed and they danced around the small apartment as Donna Summer belted it out. They both remembered how good it felt to laugh together and as they fell back on the bed, breathless from their dancing, their world was finally whole again. Layla was resting with her head on his chest when she thought of one last question. "Do you remember that night I called and asked you to dinner?"

"Like it was yesterday, it was the first night that I felt like you were on your way back to me." Ikey said as he twined some of her curls around his fingers.

"What was the song that you played after I talked to you?" Uh-oh, now she was going to have to confess to eavesdropping.

He didn't seem to notice the implications of what she had just said, or he was choosing to ignore them. He reached for the remote and aimed it at the stereo. "This song always reminds me of you." _Shed a tear 'cause I'm missing you, I'm still alright to smile. Girl, I think about you every day now. Was a time when I wasn't sure but you set my mind at ease. There is no doubt you're in my heart now. _


	8. truce and consequences part 1

Ray sat behind his desk and hesitated before he picked up the phone. He knew that he had to make the call, he just wasn't looking forward to it. After slaving over the proposal for weeks, Cataldo Construction had just landed a very lucrative contract with the largest bank in the county. This morning the bank president had thrown a monkey wrench in his plans by asking for something that Ray was extremely reluctant to give. With a huge sigh and a frustrated swipe through his hair he picked up the phone and dialed as he childishly prayed for no one to answer.

"Best Friend Windows and Landscaping. This is Layla, how may I help you?"

Layla's perky voice only served to irritate him more so he took a moment to compose himself before he said "This is Ray Cataldo, could you meet me at Murph's for coffee or lunch? I need to talk to you about a business deal."

Layla was surprised at who was on the line but recovered quickly. "Can I put you on hold for a second so I can switch phones? My date book is on the other desk." When he agreed Layla quickly pushed the hold button. Her mind raced as she went to the back to get her organizer. What could he possibly want? Over the last year Ikey had slowly regained many of the contracts that Ray had taken from them and by some mutual agreement Big Cat had been leaving them alone. The business had started going so well that Layla had quit teaching at the end of the last school year to start working as part of the business. The guys had formed a complicated partnership, the details of which only they understood, and Best Friends Windows and Landscaping had been born. They each had a part of it and every one of them contributed their own talent and expertise to the business. Nick and Eddie still did most of the window and construction contracts with help from Ronnie and sometimes Ikey. Ikey and Layla did most of the landscaping with help from the others when they needed it. Owen did the bookkeeping and Phil was in charge of the marketing. Layla also ran the office on days when the guys didn't need her help. It kept them all busy and none of them would change a thing.

Layla picked up the extension at her desk "Okay, I'm back. What time were you thinking about meeting? I have some work to do this morning but I could meet you for lunch." Oh boy, how was she going to explain this one to Ikey?

"Sounds good. I can be there at 12:30. I'll see you then." He realized that he sounded a little abrupt so he added "Thanks for this Layla, you won't be disappointed."

Without even replacing the phone in the cradle, she dialed Ikey's cell. When he answered she said "Are you alone? I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, go ahead, baby" Ikey said as he sat on the tailgate of the truck. "I have a few minutes, Nick went to get some more paint so I'm just waiting for him."

"Ray Cataldo just called me and wants to meet for lunch to discuss a business deal. I'm meeting him at 12:30 at Murph's." She waited for the explosion on the other end of the line but heard only silence. "David, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm just thinking. Are you sure you want to do this? We're doing fine, we don't need anything from him. Do you want me to come? Did he say anything else about what it is he wants.?" Ikey trusted Layla's judgment but he didn't want her to feel pressured into being nice to Big Cat.

She laughed at his barrage of questions. "I'll be fine. I'll call you after. Just keep Nick away, you know how things are since Hannah broke it off with him."

"I know, I know, trust me I know it all." Ikey had heard it all since Hannah had called it quits with Nick a few weeks earlier. He saw Nick coming towards him with the paint so he said "I gotta go babe. Hey, can you pick me up later so I can leave the truck and trailer here?"

"Sure thing. Later dude." She could here him laughing as she put the phone down.

* * *

Layla walked into Murph's and saw Ray sitting at a table along the back wall. On her way to him she say Janet and her sister at the counter. She made eye contact with Ray and held up one finger as she nodded at the girls. He smiled and nodded back at her in agreement.

Her sister had witnessed the exchange and asked her "What goes on with you and Big Cat?"

"I'm meeting him for lunch to talk about some business deal he has for us. I don't know any details yet, but I will call you later." Layla told them as she gave them a hug and headed toward the Big Cat.

He stood up to pull out a chair for her and said "They told me at the counter that you like the veggie sub, I hope that's okay."

"That's great. Thank you" she said as she sat down and waited for him to start.

"I know you are wondering why I asked you to meet, so here goes. We're building a new bank down on Main Street and the president asked for you, and Ikey, to personally do the landscaping. He was especially insistent that you do all of the interior plants, it seems a good friend of his wife is one of your clients and she can't stop raving about what a great job you do. So, I either use you for the landscaping or I lose the entire contract to a firm from Boston. I have the contract here if you want to take it to the guys for them to look over." He slid a folder across the table to her as the waitress brought their sandwiches over. He busied himself with his lunch as she looked at the papers, trying to not show just how nervous it was all making him.

Layla's mind was going a mile a minute as she skimmed the contract, Owen would need to take a good look at it before any decisions were made. She told this to Ray and he took it as a good sign, at least she was willing to explore the possibility. They chatted and made small talk as the ate their lunch and Layla actually enjoyed herself. She was amazed by the fact and she shared that with Ray.

He seemed amused as he pushed the remains of his sandwich away. "I'm not such a bad guy, you know. I do have a heart in here" he said as he patted his chest. He looked at her as she laughed at his antics and suddenly said "I love Hannah, I just want you to know that. I don't know what difference it makes to you, I just feel the need to tell you."

"I know, Ikey and I were just talking about that the other night, but it is nice to hear." What he said really didn't surprise her. She had talked about it at length with Ikey but they had never come to any conclusion besides the fact that they both had known for a long time that it just wasn't the right time for Nick and Hannah. They kept that thought between the two of them since they felt that they were in the minority.

Ray was glad that he had decided to go through with the lunch. He had never spent much time with Ikey's girl and now that he had he could see the attraction. "You must be good for Ikey. Does he know how lucky he is?"

"He better or I will kick his butt" she said while laughing with him. "Thanks for lunch, Ray. I'll get this contract to Owen today and I'll try to give you an answer tomorrow or the next day." They shook hands and he watched her as she walked through the small shop speaking to almost everyone she passed, she had met a lot of people though teaching or the landscaping business and Ray could see that she was highly regarded.

* * *

Layla spent the afternoon doing paperwork but she had a hard time concentrating, her mind kept drifting back to things that Ray had said to her and to other conversations that she'd had with Ikey, Janet and even Hannah. Her mind was still on the same track when she pulled in at the job site. She saw Ikey at a faucet cleaning paint brushes and went straight to him, waving at Nick and Eddie as she passed them.

"I still don't get it" Eddie said as she passed. "Remind me again why we used to call Ikey the goofus."

"I am just as confused as you are my man. He has a hot girlfriend and I sleep alone every night. Go figure." Nick said as he shrugged his shoulders and continued putting the tools back in the trailer.

"What goes on with you and Hannah anyway? Anything new today?" Eddie said as he wound up an extension chord.

"Same thing as always. She doesn't trust me any farther than she can throw me. The funny thing is that she has been there totally for the Commander. Anything that he needs, she seems to know before the rest of us. She's great about Sam, he comes and goes as he pleases to both our houses but she won't let me near her. It's like she has blinders on when it comes to me and no matter what I do she still sees the person that left her. I don't know man, maybe we just aren't meant to be, maybe all we will ever be is what we were." He looked over at Ikey and Layla and shook his head. "Look at those two. They're like a couple of children." Oblivious to the water and paint, Layla had jumped into his arms for a kiss that had quickly turned into a one sided water war with Ikey chasing her with the hose. Eddie turned the faucet off and was tackled by Layla for his trouble. "Thank you my friend." Layla said as she attempted to stand up only to be hampered by Eddie.

"Ikey, come get your woman off of me." Eddie said as he tickled her while pretending that she was holding him down.

"No way man, you are on your own. I have to live with her and she's sneaky" Ikey held up his hands in mock surrender.

Eddie finally relented and pulled her to her feet. "There you go, Rocky." He had called her that since the time she had slapped Allison.

When she caught her breath she said "Could everyone meet at the office in the morning? I have a contract that we need to go over, Owen is looking at it tonight."

The guys agreed, it was nothing strange to them since she was usually the one in charge of the paperwork. Nick and Eddie waved good-bye as they drove away, leaving Ikey and Layla alone in the gathering dusk.

Ikey pulled her into his arms and kissed the side of her neck where some water droplets still remained. "What time is Allison expecting us?"

"She said dinner at 7:00 so we have about an hour" she replied as she twined her hand with his and walked toward the car.

He pulled her back to him and said "I missed you today. How was lunch with the Big Cat?"

"It was interesting, I think we need to talk later." She told him.

"Later? Okay, since we have an hour and we aren't going to talk then what do you want to do?" He was teasing her, she could tell. He reached into his truck and turned to cd player on. "I guess we could dance out here in the moonlight since I can't think of anything else." She went into his arms as the music drifted through the empty parking lot. They never saw the truck that pulled into the lot.

Ray had been driving around for hours thinking about things when he saw Ikey's truck parked in the lot of their current project. "What the hell, I gotta talk to someone, maybe Ikey will talk to me" he thought to himself as he put the truck in park. He was almost out of the truck when he noticed the scene in front of him. Layla had her arms around Ikey's neck and he was holding her with his chin on top of her head, Ray could feel the love from where he was. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat as he listened to the music coming from Ikey's truck. _How I love the way you move and the sparkle in your eyes. There's a color deep inside them like a blue suburban sky. When I come home late at night and you're in bed asleep, I wrap my arms around you so I can feel you breathe. I don't need to be a superman as long as you will always be my biggest fan. _As he drove away, leaving the lovebirds in peace, he finally admitted to himself where he needed to be. He knew who he needed to talk to.

* * *

After dropping Sam off at the Garrett's house, Hannah made a hasty retreat so she wouldn't run into Nick. As soon as she was safely away from the Garrett house she slowed to a comfortable walk, there was no reason to hurry home to her empty house. There were times when she second guessed her decision to not see Nick anymore but for the most part she was just lonely. As she walked she thought about the mess she had made of her life and the people she had hurt. The fact that she had never meant to hurt anyone didn't make the guilt easier to bear. She just wished that she could figure out what she really wanted. She hoped that once she did figure it out, it wasn't something or someone that she had already lost.

When Ray rounded the corner, he could see Hannah walking up ahead and she seemed to be lost in thought. He pulled up next to her and rolled down his window "Need a ride, little girl?"

She looked over at him and a slow smile spread across her face, a smile that warmed him all over.


	9. music guide

Chapter 1Guns N Roses 'Patience'

Chapter 2 Derek and the Dominoes/Clapton 'Layla'

Journey 'Lights'

Dr. Hook 'Sharing the Night Together'

Chapter 4 Cheap Trick 'Tonight It's You' and 'The Flame'

Chapter 5 Texas 'So In Love With You

Chapter 6 Guns N Roses 'November Rain'

Chapter 7 'Sheryl Crow and Sting 'Always on Your Side'

Buckcherry 'Sorry'

Tesla 'Love Song'

KISS 'Forever'

Shooter Jennings "My Song For You'

The Outfield 'Winning it All'

Donna Summer 'Dim All the Lights'

Guns N Roses 'Patience'

Chapter 8 Warrant 'Heaven'


	10. truce and consequences part 2

**Okay, I wasn't going to update this story but here I am. Layla keeps insisting that she has more story to tell and she won't leave me alone. She is also insisting that she has a friend from her past that she wants to bring to Knights Ridge. Some of you may recognize her friend, don't ask me how this happened. All standard disclaimers apply. **

Hannah was glad to see Ray. It almost felt surreal, like she had conjured him up by simply wishing it so. Reality, however, was proving to be a little scary and she was nervous as she climbed into the truck. Once the door closed, she found herself at a loss for words so she busied herself with trying to fasten her seatbelt. On the third try, Ray reached over and stilled her hands. "Hannah, relax, it'll be okay." He ran the back of his hand across her cheek and asked "Can we go somewhere and talk? Anywhere you want." He looked into her eyes as he waited for her to answer.

"We don't need to go anywhere" Hannah replied. "For the first time in my life, I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I want to be, and I can do that right here."

Ray felt his heart skip a beat. "What is it that you want to do?"

"I want to be with you, and I am so tired of everyone telling me not to. I bought into it when I found out that Nick is really Sam's father and I thought it was what I should do for Sam. That was stupid. If I'm not happy then Sam can't be happy. He's made me see that lately." Hannah paused before turning to face him so she could look him in the eye. "Ray, Nick is Sam's father. Nothing either of us can do will ever change that fact. If we're going to be together then you have to find a way to deal with that. A way that doesn't involve violence or dirty business tactics. And, I will not discuss Nick with you and you will not interfere in his relationship with Sam."

Ray held out his hand to her. "Deal, let's shake on it."

Hannah smiled for the first time as she shook his hand, holding on for a moment longer than she really needed to. She knew it would be a long road but she was ready for the journey.

Ray wasn't exactly sure how he was going to be able to keep the promise, all he did know was that he needed to try.

* * *

Ikey opened his eyes to the bright morning light. He smiled as he caught sight of Layla struggling to pull a comb through her hair. She met his eyes in the mirror and turned around to shake a finger at him. "Don't you smile at me like that, mister. Part of this is your fault."

Ikey couldn't stop smiling, it certainly was his fault. He stretched and got out of bed to see if he could help. He stood behind her and took the comb from her hands as he led her back to the bed. Layla didn't resist, she loved it when he combed her hair. There was always something so personal and intimate in the way he would work to untangle her long locks without hurting her.

"Quit squirming, I'm almost done" Ikey told her as he worked at the final tangle. It took all of his will power to resist undoing his work. He found it almost impossible to resist running his hands through her hair. He handed her the comb and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. "Now go away before I have my way with you."

Layla laughed at him as she walked back to the bathroom mirror to finish getting ready for the day. "So, do you think Nick and Eddie will be okay with us taking the job at the bank?"

"Dude, they will be fine with it. It's gonna make us a ton of money and a lot of advertising. I wasn't too sure about it when you told me yesterday, but I'm starting to get excited."

"Okay, 'Dude'. Hurry up and get dressed, I told your Mom we would have breakfast with her this morning. She's been missing her baby boy." She ducked as he threw a pillow at her. "Meet ya down there."

Ikey watched her as she went out the door and thought for the gazillionth time just how lucky he was.

* * *

Layla kissed Ikey good-bye as the prepared to go their separate ways for work. "Don't forget, I have to go the hospital and do something about that pitiful excuse of a ficus tree that they have. I think I'm gonna take that fiddle leaf fig that we just got in. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. If you get done in time come by Sully's, we'll be there for lunch." Ikey gave her a wave as he backed out of the driveway.

At the shop, Ronnie helped her load the plant into the back of her truck and she was off to the hospital. She spent the morning tending to all the plants in the atrium and replacing the struggling ficus with the new plant. As she was packing up her supplies she heard a voice behind her. "There's only one person I know with all that hair and an ass like that."

Layla turned around and said "Oh my God, Izzie Stevens what are you doing here?" She rushed to her and pulled the tall blonde woman into a hug.

"It's a long story and I could ask you the same thing" Izzie replied as she returned the hug. "Do you live here in Knights Ridge?"

"I do, for the last few years now." Layla told her. "Hey, do you want to grab some lunch and catch up? Do you have time?"

"I have a meeting in about 5 minutes, but after that I have all the time in the world. Can I meet you somewhere?" Izzie said after glancing at her watch.

"I'm meeting my boyfriend and some other friends at a place called Sully's. You probable passed it on the way here." Layla said.

"I saw it. I'll be there right after my meeting." She gave Layla a quick hug and headed to her meeting. She had been nervous about the whole situation, but seeing her old friend made everything feel better.

* * *

Layla called all the girls on her way to Sully's and they all promised to get there as soon as they were able. Layla spent most of the lunch hour looking at the door waiting for Izzie to appear. Ikey noticed and asked her "Why are you looking at the door so much? Is my replacement on his way or something?"

Layla smacked him on the arm and said "No way goofus, I'm waiting for my friend Izzie to show up."

"Who's Izzie?" Ikey wanted to know.

"She's an old friend from college. We roomed together for 4 years, but I haven't seen her for a long time. I saw her at the hospital this morning and invited her to join us here. I don't know why she's in town, but I'm glad to see her and I can't wait to catch up on the years." She looked around the table as the guys were getting ready to leave. "Hey, let's have a barbeque tonight. I want you all to meet Izzie."

"We can have it at the house" Eddie told her. "Phil's been missing everyone so it will be good for him. I'll go to the market and pick up the steaks and veggie burgers if you can all bring everything else." Everyone agreed to bring something and the guys headed back to work. Each one of them gave and appreciative glance to the leggy blonde that they passed on the way to the parking lot.

* * *

The girls had all made it to Sully's and introductions had been made. Sully gave Janet the rest of the afternoon off, so after a quick freshen up in the restroom she joined the girls for their impromptu meeting. She flopped into the chair beside Allison and said "Whew, I need this. It is so good to see all of you. I've been missing all my girls since we've all gotten so busy."

Allison smiled at her "I agree. I was so glad to get Layla's call. It seems like ages since we've been able to get together. Hannah, I'm really glad you could make it. Got any news for us? I've been seeing a certain truck outside of your house lately."

"Maybe later, we're taking it slow and private right now" Hannah told her. "I'll let you know when there's any big news. You know I couldn't do too much without filling you all in. We are "The Dirty Laundry Club", aren't we?"

Pizza Girl erupted into giggles "That is too funny." She looked over at Izzie "I told you we are all crazy. Welcome to our insanity."

Izzie looked around the table at the odd assortment of women and asked the question she had been wanting to ask all afternoon "How in the world did you all meet each other? You're all so different."

All the girls glanced at each other and started laughing. Once she had caught her breath, Layla started explaining. "Did you see that group of guys that passed you on your way in here?" When Izzie nodded she continued. "Well, each one of us is connected to one of them. You know my sister, and Hannah and Janet have been friends for years. We know each other because of them, but we are friends because we want to be."

"So who is with who." Izzie asked.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be? This could take awhile." Layla asked her.

Izzie shook her head. "As a matter of fact, I don't have to be anywhere until Monday morning. In fact I really don't have anywhere to go. Can any of you recommend a place to stay until I find a house?"

"I have a spare room that has been empty since Layla came to her senses and went back to Ikey. It's yours for as long as you need it." Janet told her.

"Seriously? That is so cool. Are you sure, though? You don't even know me." Izzie was stunned at how easy these women were accepting her.

Janet gave her a shooing motion and looked at Layla and said "Tell her our story, she might change her mind."

Layla thought for a minute about where to begin. "Okay, here goes nothing'. I'll try to keep it brief, but I can't promise anything. I guess I'll start with me. I met Ikey the very first night I was here and fell madly in love. Literally, love at first sight. We had a hard time getting where we are now, it definitely wasn't moonlight and roses. It was a struggle but he is the love of my life. My crazy sister over there married one of his best friends, Phil. She should be the one to tell you all about how much she loves him. It's much more entertaining that way." Layla stopped and raised a questioning eyebrow at Hannah. When Hannah nodded at her she continued. "Hannah and Nick were high-school sweethearts and they have a son together. They aren't together anymore but we still let her hang out with us, right Hannah?"

Hannah appreciated her light hearted treatment of the whole Nick situation. "I am such a lucky girl" she jokingly replied.

Layla continued "Now, Allison is my special friend…"

Allison interrupted her to say "What she is getting ready to say is that I had an affair with Ikey before she knew him and the very first time she met me she slapped me like the big bully she is."

The girls all laughed at the memory of that day and Layla continued "Allison is married to Owen and they have two kids. Which brings me to your new housemate. Janet has this strange and confusing on again-off again thing with Eddie. None of us can really figure it out so we just roll with the flow. Okay, there you have it, in a nutshell. Now, Izzie Stevens, you need to spill because I know there is some reason you are here instead of Seattle."

"There is a long, complicated answer that I will save for a day with less alcohol involved but I can give you the easy answer now. I have a suspicion that you will understand since there has to be a reason why you're here instead of Boston, a reason that didn't start with the boy. Anyway, I have come to the conclusion that I am a simple girl in search of a simple life. I saw an online add for a surgical opening at the hospital here one day. I answered it and here I am."

The girls spent the next few hours inducting Izzie into their circle. By the time they left for the barbeque they were all fast friends. Hannah begged off the evening after promising to see them all the next day at Janet's house.

Layla rode with Izzie so she could direct her to the house. She took that time to do a little digging. "Okay, now I want the real answer why you aren't in Seattle. I know you Izzie Stevens and you don't do anything without a good reason."

Izzie thought for a moment about what she wanted to say. "It's been a hard couple of years. You are looking at a broken woman and I really need somewhere to heal, somewhere without memories. You know what, I really thought that I wanted to be a big shot surgeon. I was so wrong. What I want is to help people and to have a life without drama. I just woke up one day and realized that I wasn't doing what I wanted to do. I stewed on it for a long time while I was finishing my residency then I made a break for it. Tell me why you are here. Last thing I remember is that you were going to take the advertising world by storm. What happened there?" Izzie knew that she would eventually have to tell Layla about Denny, and George, but it could wait for a day when she was feeling a little stronger.

"Pretty much the same thing. I had an epiphany and realized that I wasn't really happy, no matter how many times I told myself that I was. I called my sister and asked if I could visit for a while. The rest is history. I met Ikey and I haven't looked back. He is partners in a business with all the guys and I work there. I do some landscaping and design, and I run the office. It keeps me busy and I love every minute of it. In fact we are all involved one way or another, except Hannah. My sister helps Phil with the marketing and they keep our computers running. Owen does most of the bookkeeping. Allison even pitches in if we get in a jam. We're like one big, dysfunctional, happy family. I'm really glad you're here Izzie, I think you might find that this is a great place to heal and we have room for one more weirdo in the family." Layla smile over at Izzie and was surprised to see a tear trickle down her face. "Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I just that I finally feel like everything might be okay. I've been so scared, wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Seeing you this morning really made things easier and meeting all your friends has given me some hope for the future that I didn't even know I was missing until right now." Izzie pulled into the driveway that Layla indicated and said "Now let's stop the waterworks so you can introduce me to the love of your life." Izzie took a deep breath and got out of the car. She followed Layla up the steps to a new life.

tbc-because Layla won't let me stop!

* * *


	11. Running and Finding

**I'm baaack! Okay, when this was on the air I felt some obligation to try to stick to the story. Sadly, I no longer need to feel that way. My husband is down in Louisiana restoring power to the masses so I find myself with a lot of time on my hands. This is the result. I make no claims to being a writer and since this is simply a hobby I don't think I need to bother a beta. Sorry for any and all errors. Don't heavy think, just read and enjoy and ask yourself- where does she get these harebrained ideas. When you figure that out, let me know. Majorly good Karma for those of you who recognize who "Wes" actually is. Sorry, but no Jeddie or Nick and Hannah in this chapter, this is a back story and filler, goodness to come in late chapters. All standard disclaimers apply.**

Ray was deep in thought as he pulled into the lot of Sully's. He parked on auto-pilot and walked into the bar. He couldn't see the girls, but he could hear Hannah's laughter as he entered. Remembering his promise to give her space, he turned and went to the far end of the bar. After settling on the bar stool he glanced to his right and discovered Ikey nursing a beer and chewing on a swizzle stick.

"What goes on Big Cat?"

"Probably the same thing as you." Ray replied with a small smile. Since Ikey and Layla had started the bank project with him, Ray had found that it was becoming easier to talk to some of Hannah's friends.

Ikey exchanged his destroyed swizzle stick for a new one before he answered. "Yeah, you're lookin' at the taxi for the evening. Eddie's coming for Janet and Allison later but I get Layla, her sister and Izzie. God help me. Pray for me Big Cat, I'm gonna need it."

From the other side of the bar Rooster joined in "And the truly bad part is that they just started shots and the night is still young." He looked over Ray's shoulder and raised an eyebrow "Don't look now, but Janet and Allison are spankin' some butt over at the dart board. Poor college boys." He set a draft down in front of Ray and moved down the bar.

Ikey and Ray sat in companionable silence, letting the activity of the bar move around them. Ikey could tell that Ray had something on his mind but figured that it would come out in due time. Since starting on the bank job with him Ikey was more comfortable in Ray's presence, but he was still wary of what could happen when the Big Cat was around. It had been a long time since anything had happened, but none of the guys were willing to let their guard down just yet. Ikey was searching for what to say when he heard Ray speak. "What did you just say, dude? I was spacing out over here."

"Can I ask you something? I think I need some advice." Ray repeated.

Ikey stared at him for a moment "What could I possibly give you advice on?"

"Are you gonna listen or not? This isn't easy for me, ya know." Ray demanded.

Ikey thought about it while he chewed on his swizzle stick. "Yeah, I'll listen. Don't really have anything better to do at the moment."

"Okay, here's the thing. Hannah and I have been seeing each other again for a few months. We've started talking about living together, but now it seems like she's pulling away. When I ask her what's wrong she says nothing." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't want to lose her, man." Ray heard himself talking but couldn't believe what had just come out of his mouth. He had come dangerously close to letting someone see the real Ray Cataldo.

Ikey was shaking his head. "You poor fool. First of all, when she says nothing it never means nothing. I can't believe you haven't figured that one out yet." He swiveled around on his stool to look for the girls. Turning back around he signaled for Rooster. When Rooster made it down to them Ikey handed him a quarter. "Play Layla's current favorite song for me. I need to show Big Cat something." Rooster grinned and went to the jukebox.

Ikey turned to Ray and said "Do you see Layla over there?" When Ray nodded he continued "Watch what she does when the next song starts and then we'll finish this conversation."

When the first strains of the music started Ray could see that Layla was listening and when she realized what was playing she looked around the bar until she spotted Ikey. By the time the chorus started she was on her way to where they were seated. _'You don't have to be rich to be my girl. You don't have to be cool to rule my world. Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your kiss.'_

Ray watched in amazement as Layla stepped between Ikey's knees and reached up to place her hands on his chest. Leaning in, she gave him a bone melting kiss, gave a little finger wave to Ray and Rooster and headed back to the girls. Ikey grinned at Ray and said "Ready for the rest of the conversation?"

"Maybe you should call it a lesson instead" Rooster quipped as he walked away.

"You need to know what lights her up and then commit to it. A little romance wouldn't kill ya Cataldo. I'm lucky, Layla loves music as much as I do so it comes easy for us. Every woman I know will show you what she wants if you just pay attention." Ikey got up from his bar stool "Wait here, I'll be right back. I got something in the car you can use." He was back in just a few minutes with a cd case in his hands.

"I'm feeling generous tonight so I'm gonna give you a little hint here. Hannah spent a lot of time with all of us when we were younger and she has the same love of music that we all got from Phil." He looked at the cd in his hands before he handed it to Ray. "This has every song that I have ever played for Layla on it and a few new ones that I haven't needed yet. Take it and put it to good use." He waved Rooster to come back. "Get me an order of wings Rooster and put it on Big Cat's tab. He owes me."

Ray just shrugged at Rooster and said "Make that two orders and plenty of soda. We might be here for awhile." Ray and Ikey spent the rest of the evening sharing plates of wings and nursing their sodas. By the time the girls were ready to call it a night Ray felt like he was on the way to actually having a friend. After loading Hannah into his SUV he went to help Ikey with his load. Between the two of them they finally got all three women in the car and buckled up.

Ikey hesitated before getting into the car and blew out a big breath. "Hey Big Cat…" When he had Ray's attention he continued "Play track 7 for her. I guarantee you it will work, and it can be your original because I've never played it for Layla."

They gave each other a wave and drove off to take all of their inebriated women home.

* * *

Allison cracked one eye open and quickly shut it when she registered the bright sunlight streaming through the window. Burying her head under the pillow she silently cursed the women that had talked her into those last few shots of tequila.

Owen walked into the bedroom and grinned at the sight of his wife cocooned in the bedcovers. Peeking under the edge he met her eyes. "Up and at 'em" he told her. "Remember, you promised Izzie that you would help her paint today."

Groaning, Allison rolled over and flung the covers away from her and let the sunshine have it's way with her. Owen was right, she had promised Izzie and she couldn't let her down on such an important day. One more day of painting and then they could open the doors on the Knights Ridge Family Shelter. Izzie had started the project alone, but she had quickly coerced the rest of them into helping her. When Owen tossed a pair of her oldest jeans on the foot of the bed she smiled her thanks and started dressing.

* * *

Ikey watched in amazement as Layla bounced around the apartment. "You know, it really pisses me off that you don't have hangovers like a normal person."

Layla laughed at him as she gathered some cds together to take to the scheduled day of painting. "You're not pissed, you're just jealous." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips while copping a feel of his backside. "Gotta go, don't know when I'll be back. Come by if you guys get bored."

Shaking his head in amusement, Ikey watched her as she left in a rush. "I love you" he called down the stairs to her.

"You better" was the response he got right before he heard the door of her car close.

* * *

After brushing her teeth to get rid of the bad taste in her mouth, Izzie made a cup of tea and took it out to the porch swing that Nick and Eddie had installed the day before. Looking around at all of the things that had been done in the past months to get ready for the opening she smiled in satisfaction. She still missed everyone in Seattle but it became easier to handle every day. She had found a home and another "family", another second chance that she was determined to make work.

* * *

Hannah woke up to the ungodly sound of what she thought had to be somebody mowing the lawn. Rolling over to hide under her pillow she saw that it was just the cat purring up a storm. Pulling it under the covers with her she cuddled it for a few minutes until she felt ready to face the day. She was spending the day painting with the girls and had a date with Ray that night and she smiled in anticipation of all the good things that the coming day promised as she headed for the shower. She turned her cell phone on and placed it on the vanity so she would remember to call Janet to ask her to watch Sam. She didn't feel right asking Nick since it was for a date with Ray. There was a time when she would have felt guilt for the whole situation but lately she was learning to take things as they come and enjoy the moment. Much to Janet's satisfaction, and to her, own even though she would never admit it to her friend.

* * *

Janet hung up the phone after agreeing to watch Sam and turned around when she heard Sully calling her name. "What did you say, Sully? I didn't hear you, I was on the phone with Hannah."

"That's okay, Honey. I just want to introduce you to the new bar-back and bouncer." Sully replied with his usual good nature.

For the first time Janet noticed the man standing beside Sully and her mouth went a little dry and she suddenly regretted those last few shots of the night before. Standing before her was one of the best looking men she had seen in a long time. Eddie was no slouch, but this guy was just too scary looking to even compare to the men of Knights Ridge. She was jerked out of her musings by Sully saying her name.

"Earth to Janet. Are you listening?"

"Yeah, Sully. I'm with you." She replied a little sheepishly.

"Janet, this is Westin Santor. He's starting tonight, so could you show him the ropes? I have to go run some errands, but I'll be back before the rush."

As Sully left the bar, Janet looked over the new guy, trying to get a feel for him. Her initial reaction had been one of mistrust but the sparkle in his green eyes was making her rethink her reaction. When he held out his hand she shook it and gave him a grin. He smile back at her and said "Nice to meet you Janet, please call me Wes."

Janet spent the next few hours showing Wes around the place. By the time she opened for business she found that she was comfortable in his presence and actually found herself relaxing. He seemed to know his was around a bar so she agreed when he suggested that she take a break when Allison and Layla came in for some dinner. "Where are Izzie and Hannah?" she asked them as she took a seat at their table.

Layla gave her an impish smile as she replied "Hannah has a hot date with Big Cat and Izzie is taking a shower. She'll be along."

Janet wrinkled her brow and asked "You two look fine, why is Izzie showering?"

Allison let out a little giggle at Layla's innocent expression. "She's showering because our friend here chased her around with a paint brush." She shook her finger at Layla and said in mock seriousness "Shame on you, you big bully."

Wes, as he had learned to think of himself, stood behind the bar and smiled at the exchange. He could see a lot of genuine love between the girls and it made him miss his "brothers" even more. At the sound of the front door opening he looked that way and what he saw made him believe in God just a little bit more. Coming toward him was a tall blonde woman with her hair in a messy ponytail, dressed in ratty jeans and a Celtics t-shirt. Janet looked over at him and said "Wes, could you bring us some drafts, please."

He watched the blonde drop into a seat beside Janet and surmised that this must be the Izzie that they were talking about. He quickly loaded the drafts on a tray and took them to the table.

"Seriously, Layla. Did you really have to get it down my pants and in my hair. You have got to learn to play fair." Izzie smacked Layla on the arm and laughed when Layla made a big show of pain. "Geez, you are such a pain in the ass."

Wes almost tripped at the thought of washing paint off of the beautiful woman before him. He let Janet take the tray from his hands as he met her laughing eyes. Something told him that this was a very perceptive co-worker that he had just acquired.

"Allison, Layla, Izzie, I would like to introduce you to Sully's newest employee. This is Wes. Wes, these are my friends and their money is never any good in here."

Izzie finished putting her keys into her purse and looked up as Janet was introducing Wes. Janet continued with the introductions, giving Izzie a chance to study the man in front of her. He was well over 6' tall with bright green eyes, spiky black hair and a skin tone that hinted at a mixed heritage. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks when he caught her staring at him.

Wes saw her blush and leaned close as he placed her beer in front of her. "Next time you have paint in hard to reach places, give me a call. I would be glad to help you out." He arched his eyebrows and smiled as Izzie's blush deepened. "Ladies, let me know if you need anything else. Janet, take your time, it doesn't look like it's gonna be busy for awhile." With one more look at Izzie he made his way back to the bar.

* * *

"Wow, that was some night." Janet said to Wes as she locked the front door after the final customer. "Is there any coffee left?"

"Sure" Wes said as he reached for the pot. He poured her a mug and slid it across the bar to her.

Janet took a sip and sighed. She looked over at Wes and gave him a devilish smile. "So, go ahead and ask what you want to know. I can tell it's been killing you all night."

"Has anyone ever told you that you might be too perceptive for your own good?" Wes kidded her as he poured a mug of coffee for himself. "If you know so much, why don't you tell me what I want to know."

Janet narrowed her eyes at him for a second. Shrugging her shoulders she decided to tell him a little bit about Izzie. "Izzie is one of my best friends even though she just moved to the Ridge a little over a year ago. She went to college with Layla and they met up again when she moved here for her job. She's a surgeon at the hospital and she is opening a shelter for women and children. That's all there is for general circulation, anything else you'll have to get from Izzie herself. Now, let's get this place closed up so we can get some sleep."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Wes found himself falling into a comfortable routine. He worked at the bar most nights and was slowly cultivating a friendship with Izzie and the rest of Janet's extended family. Pulling a beer out of the cooler, he handed it to Eddie and leaned on the bar taking a long pull out of beer of his own.

"So, when are you going to get around to asking Izzie out?" Eddie asked.

Wes had to swallow quickly before he spewed beer all over the other man. "What makes you think I should ask her out?"

Eddie raised an eyebrow and gave him a searching look. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you can't keep your eyes off of each other and you never miss a chance to make a pass at her just so you can watch her blush. Maybe I have a little insight and I think you should ask her out because she won't say no. Maybe," Eddie took a swig of beer. " but whatever, you do what you want. Who am I to force you to go out with a beautiful, smart, sexy woman."

Wes thought to himself that Bobby would really like this guy. Actually all of the guys would like Eddie. He blew out a big breath before he replied. "It's a little more complicated than that, my friend. I am attracted to Izzie, but I can't ask her out, not the way my life is now."

"Just what 'way' is your life right now?" Eddie asked him.

Wes paused for a moment before he answered. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you."

Eddie looked Wes in the eye and the twinkle that was still there offset the serious tone of voice. "It can't be that bad, but whatever it is you can talk to me when you're ready." He finished his beer and reached for his coat. "In the meantime, grab your coat, the dorks have invited you to band practice. I use the term band lightly, just a little fyi."

* * *

"I think I'm going crazy" Izzie said as she stomped around the room cleaning up after the latest resident in the shelter. "I mean, seriously, what's the problem? Why won't he ask me out? If I don't have some serious making out with a hot man soon I am going to kill somebody." She quit stomping around the room long enough to glare at Layla and Pizza Girl. "Stop staring at me and help me come up with a plan."

"Maybe you should ask him out. It doesn't seem like he would be against that thought." Pizza Girl suggested. When Izzie halted suddenly in front of her she shrank back into the chair.

Izzie snapped her fingers and said "That's it. That's what I'm going to do. Now I just have to figure out how."

* * *

After spending a few days getting up her courage Izzie approached Wes at the bar. "Could I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure, just give me a few minutes. I have a break coming, I'll meet you out back." Izzie nodded her head and Wes watched her go with confusion in his eyes. He looked down the bar and met Janet's eyes. When she saw the look in his eyes she came down and took the bar towel from his hands.

"Look Wes, I don't know what's holding you back and maybe you can't tell me, but I know a runner when I see one. Whatever it is that you're running from must be pretty bad if it's gonna stop you from having any kind of life." She took one of his large hands in hers. "Why don't you give Izzie a chance, she might surprise you." She squeezed his hand and gave him a push towards the back.

Wes walked out the back door to find Izzie leaning against his Mustang, and in that moment he couldn't take it any more. He took a few steps towards her and pulled her into his arms. She fit perfectly into his embrace and they stood locked together for a long time, long enough for him to get control of his emotions. He gripped her upper arms and pushed her away so he could see her face clearly. What he saw there was his undoing and his whole plan of letting her down easily went out the window. "Carlos is going to kill me" he said as he pulled her back to him.

Izzie heard what he said but it didn't make any sense to her. It didn't matter because she was in his arms and she never wanted to leave, no matter what the consequences. After a few minutes Wes spoke softly into her ear. "We really need to talk about some things if you want to be around me."

He sat her down on the bench and sat beside her to look into her eyes. "Izzie, this is very serious and I need to know if you can handle that. You have to be sure. You have to be certain, because this could put you into some danger and I will not do that on some sort of whim."

Izzie searched his face before she answered. She must have found what she was looking for because a smile came to her face. "You can tell me anything. I have found out in the past year that I am way stronger than I ever thought. I've learned to listen to my instincts, to believe in myself, and it is all telling me that you need me as much as I need you."

"Wait right here, I'll be right back" he told her. He made a quick tour through the bar to collect Izzie's purse and to tell Janet he was leaving for the night. He exited the back door and took Izzie's hand to lead her to the car.


	12. Taking Risks

**I own nothing, really. If I did we would be in season 3 by now and I would be running ABC, I bet I could do a better job.**

Hannah paused in the middle of her living room. Something wasn't right, there was something different but she couldn't figure it out. She slowly looked around until she spotted the piece of paper taped to the front of the stereo. Stepping closer, she saw two words written in Ray's writing 'push play'. Shrugging her shoulders she did as instructed. Sitting down on the couch, she listened intently to the song coming from the speakers.

_If these were the last words you'd hear, I want you to know __And if I suddenly disappear did I leave enough_ _to show_

_That you have my heart and my soul and everything within __Right there (right there) in the palm of your hand._

_If all of the pictures of me fade in your memory __If your mind is filled with uncertainty, baby come to me_

_I will be there, always, forever and a day __Right there (right there) in the palm of your hand_

As the last notes of the guitar drifted away, Hannah reached up to wipe a tear from her face. Ray's voice startled her and she turned to look at him.

"Hannah Jane, I don't know what's wrong lately, but whatever it is, please let me fix it. That's what I do, you know. I fix things." Ray said softly. "I don't want to lose you, but we can't go on this way. We both deserve something permanent."

Hannah gazed at him for a long moment with tears sparking in her eyes before she answered. "That's just it Ray. What if we do something stupid again and screw this up? I don't want to hurt you and I don't think I can handle another heartache." She hung her head and let her hair fall to cover her face. After a few tense moments she felt his hands on her shoulders and she let out the breath that she didn't know she had been holding in.

"Hannah, you have really got to stop over analyzing everything. What do you say we just roll with the flow and see where that takes us. How about that?"

Hannah took strength from the confidence in his voice and finally lifted her head so she could look him in the eyes. What she saw there convinced her that he was worth the chance of a little heartache. She saw stability, friendship and love. The insecure man of a few years ago was nowhere to be seen and she was grateful for that. Taking a deep breath, she said "Okay, I'm through with doubts, I'm through with second guessing myself. I love you and that is how it is going to be and I don't care what anyone else thinks about it." She got up from the couch and walked into his embrace. "What do you say about moving some stuff over here tomorrow?"

Ray rested his cheek against her hair and replied. "I'm already packed. I was just waiting for you to ask."

* * *

Janet glanced around the bar and spotted Wes in a back booth eating some lunch and reading a newspaper and from the look on his face it appeared that what he was reading was good news. She grabbed a couple of sodas and went to sit with him.

"So, how is everything?" she asked with raised eyebrows as she slid into the other side of the booth.

"Everything is just fine. I'll tell you all about it later, but right now I need to go make a phone call." Wes gave her a grin in apology as he slid out of the booth and headed to the back room.

After watching him leave Janet picked up the paper that he had left behind and looked at it, wondering what it was that had made him smile. All she saw was ads for various massage parlors and a few personal ads. Shaking her head, she gathered up the remains of his lunch and made her way to the bar. When the front door opened she glanced at her watch and smiled, Hannah was right on time as usual. They had made a date for girl talk when Hannah had come to pick Sam up the night before.

"Did you call everyone?" Hannah asked her as she hung her purse on the back of a bar stool.

"You know it. Everyone is coming and they should be straggling in any moment. Izzie may be a little late though, she had an appendectomy this afternoon."

"Good" Hannah replied "because I only want to say this once."

Just then the front doors opened and Layla, Allison and Pizza Girl came into the bar in a swirl of sound and color.

Janet motioned them all to the tables in front of the bar and started pouring all of their favorite drinks. She had barely started the first one when Wes came and took the bottle from her hands. "Go" he said with a shooing motion. "Go do your girl talk thing. I just talked to Izzie and she should be here in a few minutes."

Janet raised her eyebrow. "You talked to Izzie, huh? Is that part of the everything that is fine and your gonna tell me about it later?"

Wes laughed at her and pushed her towards the girls "Don't worry, I'm sure Izzie will fill you in."

Wes spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the chatter going on in front of the bar. He found himself studying each one of the women and wondering at how they were friends. He had been many places in the world but he couldn't remember seeing anything quite like this group of women. He couldn't believe that they were so very different from each other and yet they functioned as a well oiled machine, where one of them left off the next began. He spent a few minutes trying to figure out which one of them was the glue that held it all together but he failed. There was absolutely no rhyme or reason for the six of them to be friends but yet there they were, chattering up a storm, teasing each other and if he wasn't mistaken they were probably planning out his life, and all the other guys, for the next forty years or so. He was jerked out of his musings by Sully calling at him from the back. He caught Janet's eye and she nodded, letting him know that she would watch the bar.

"Okay, he's gone. Now tell us what's going on with you two." Pizza Girl said to Izzie. "Please, it's killing us."

Layla chimed in with a "Please, please, pretty please."

Izzie laughed at the two of them and let out a snort when she glanced at Allison giving her puppy dog eyes. At the sound of Izzie's snort they all lost it and had a good laugh that left them wiping eyes and gasping for breath.

Pizza Girl was almost jumping up and down in her seat with anticipation. "Quick, tell us before he gets back."

"Okay, okay, keep your pants on" Izzie told her. "He says we need to have a very serious conversation but he had to talk to someone else before he could tell me some things. He took me home last night and we had an incredible make out session on the porch swing. I mean, seriously, it was great." Izzie glanced toward the back of the bar to make sure the coast was clear. "That man does things with his mouth that I've only read about in books." She started fanning herself with a menu as the others laughed at her. They were still teasing her when Wes came back to the front of the bar. He knew he had busted her by the blush that crept across her face. He was on his way over to give her a hard time when Eddie, Nick and Ikey entered the bar. Janet got up from her seat and walked to meet him near the bar. She took the towel from his hands and pushed him towards the guys. She blew a kiss to Eddie and smiled when he returned the favor.

"Go hang with the boys for awhile, it's your turn for some down time. I can tend the bar and gossip. I've been doing it for years and I'm pretty good at it, even if I do say so myself." She swatted at him with the towel and went to fix an order for Karen. As she worked she spent some time studying the guys in the back of the bar. She had been feeling a little melancholy lately, like she was missing something. She and Eddie were currently in a two-steps-forward phase of their relationship, but a part of her was always waiting for the other shoe to fall. She shook her head to clear out the blue thoughts and focused in on the girls in front of her. They were always good for a little pick me up.

Layla and her sister were badgering Hannah for more details from the night before while Allison looked on. Izzie was sitting with her chin in her hands, staring off into space. When she realized the Hannah was not giving up any of the juicy stuff, Layla turned her attention to Izzie. "Hey, Earth to Izzie. Hello, anybody home over there?"

"What? I wasn't listening." Izzie said as she refocused on the women in front of her.

"You haven't finished telling us what's going on with you and Wes." Allison said. "You might as well tell the nosy twins over there. You know they won't leave you alone until you tell them everything. Trust me on this one." She ducked as Pizza Girl blew a straw wrapper at her and retaliated with a balled up napkin.

Izzie grabbed both of their hands and rolled her eyes. "Why do I always have to be the adult? If you promise to be good I will tell you the rest." She laughed as they all made their promises and crossed their hearts. "Well, there isn't much more to tell. We're going out tonight when he gets off. I don't have to be at the hospital again until Monday and I actually have a whole week-end without being on call. And, since the shelter is currently empty I am hoping that I can talk him into staying with me." She waggled her eyebrows in a way that she had picked up from Wes and all of the girls laughed at her antics.

Wes watched Nick gazing at Hannah and shot a questioning look at Eddie. "We ran into Aubrey and Ronnie today and Nicky is feeling a little down and out today. It's hard to be surrounded by every girl who has ever dumped you."

Ikey punched Nick in the arm to get his attention. "Let it go, dude. That is ancient history over there. You should be looking for a new story and leave that one alone."

"Ikey may be an idiot sometimes, but I think he's right today. Let's go play some pool." Eddie pulled Nick from the booth and they headed for the pool table, arguing about everything and nothing.

Ikey watched them go and turned to Wes. "Don't look now, but there's a tall, blond woman coming this way. I think I'll go dance with my girl."

He slid from the booth and tipped his hat at Izzie as he passed her. "Layla, c'mon baby, let's dance." Wes grinned as Layla skipped over to Ikey and threw herself into his arms.

"So, have I been cleared for the top secret conversation?" Izzie asked as she sat down beside Wes. She was sitting beside him but she wasn't looking at him as she spoke. She was watching Ikey and Layla twirl around the dance floor. When she felt Wes take her hand in his she looked around to meet his eyes. "Sweetheart, it was never about clearing you, it was about making sure that you would be safe." He blew out a big breath, he still wasn't completely sure about the whole situation. He was sure about Izzie, she was a shining star that had managed to brighten his bleak future. He just wasn't sure about putting her in danger. Part of him wanted her to run for the hills and take the decision away from him, the other part wanted to pull her into his arms and never let her go. "Iz, are you sure about this? Did you really think about this? I was serious when I told you that this isn't some sort of whim, being with me is not an easy thing to do."

Izzie pulled his arm around her shoulder and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I did think about it. In between thinking about kissing you again, that kept getting in the way." She looked up at him and saw the serious glint in his eyes. "Okay, serious moment here. I did think about it, over and over again, and I kept coming to the same conclusion. Life is risk. I want you in my life, so I am willing to take the risk. Is that serious enough for you?"

He was a smart man, smart enough to know when he was looking at a fight that he was going to lose. "Okay, you win. We'll talk tonight, but right now let's go dance. We can't let Ikey and Layla have all the fun."

* * *

Wes walked Janet to her car after they were finished closing up. "So where did Eddie disappear to?"

Janet unlocked the car door and threw her bag onto the passenger seat. She turned around to lean against the side of the car as she answered. "He drove Pizza Girl home so Phil wouldn't have to get out. He still has his moments and we all try to make it easier for him. Eddie will probably be at my place by the time I get there. Are you going to Izzie's?"

"As a matter of fact, I am" Wes replied. "Can we transfer the shelter phone to you? I want to take her to my place."

"You sure can. Tell Izzie I'll take care of everything" Janet told him. "I'll see ya when I see ya." She waved at him and got into the car. Wes watched her as she drove away, then pulled out his cell to make a call. He dialed a number that he knew by heart and waited for it to be answered. It was answered on the second ring in a very predictable way.

"Yo." his best friend, business partner and brother-in-arms said.

"I'm doing it tonight. I'll be offline for the whole week-end." Wes told him.

"Understood" was the one word reply. Wes was waiting for the line to go dead in the usual way and was surprised when it didn't. "I want to meet her when this is all over. Steph says Hi." That was it, he was gone. Wes smiled and flipped his phone shut. Some things never really change, they just slowly evolve.

* * *

Ikey twined one of Layla's curls around his finger and absently listened to her telling him about her day. At the mention of Big Cat he listened more intently. "So, they talked most of the night. Hannah said that he told her things that he never has before and she finally feels like she can trust him all the way with her heart." She lifted her head from his chest to give him a kiss. "Thank you for helping him. You didn't have to and that means a lot to me. It meant a lot to Hannah, also."

Ikey wrapped a few more curls around his fingers as he answered her. "Aw, it was nothin'. I wouldn't have done it for the Big Cat of a couple of years ago, but I can see that he's changed. Even Eddie can see it. I still feel sorry for Nick, but the heart wants what the heart wants." He lapsed into silence, listening to the stereo playing softly in the background. Layla had put in a new cd she just got and a superb rendition of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' was playing.

Layla ran her hand down his chest and snuggled closer, inhaling that unique blend of sun and soap that was always around Ikey. "It's just nice to finally see Hannah at peace with the whole thing. She's been torn in so many directions for so many years, that had to be hard." She was quiet for so long that Ikey thought she had drifted off before she spoke again. "Isn't music a wonderful thing? I mean look at what it has done for us. Sometimes when we don't have the right words, there's always a song that does."

"Yeah, that's one thing we all learned from Phil when we were kids." He laughed at the memory of a younger Phil. "I don't think we ever went anywhere without a boom box. Can you imagine what would have happened if they had just invented the iPod about 15 years earlier?"

Layla giggled at the thought of her skinny brother-in-law lugging around a huge stereo. "The trail of devastation would have been long and wide."

* * *

Phil watched as his wife sat cross legged on the bed beside him and braided her hair into two complicated tails. When she was done she stretched herself out beside him. For the whole time she had been giving him a play by play of the entire day. Sometimes he thought that there wasn't any need to leave the house because the way she described things was usually better than actually being there. He held up a hand so he could get a word in. "So, let me sum this up. Hannah is with Ray for real now, Wes finally got the nerve to ask Izzie out, Nick is moping around and everybody else is normal. Did I get everything?"

She wrinkled her nose at his teasing. "That covers it, but my version was way better."

"Your way is always better, my love" he said as he pulled her closer to him.

* * *

Wes pulled into Izzie's driveway and steeled himself for the coming conversation. Before he could get out of the car, Izzie came running down the walk with a duffel in her hands. She got into the car and leaned over to kiss him. "Janet called" she said by way of explanation. "Let's go, I'm ready for you to explain the mysteries of Wes to me."

As he pulled out of the driveway he prayed that he was ready to do the explaining.

**Okay, there it is. Another chapter, I hope you likes. The song that Hannah listens to is by my sisters father. She was just reunited with him after 16 years and we have discovered where she gets her musical talent. The song is "Palm of Your Hand" by Tony Kendrick. You can find him on youtube or myspace. Check him out koop, once again you won't be disappointed. Ikey and Layla are listening to Leona Lewis. I absolutely adore her cd 'Spirit'. "Bleeding Love" reminds me of Hannah and Ray, I just couldn't figure out a way to get it into the story, maybe next time. **


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